Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween all! I get so excited for Halloween solely for the excuse to dress up! I love love love designing costumes and coming up with creative ideas! This year my husband and I decided not to dress up (we usually do every year) and to make it ALL about Cash. Deciding on what to dress him up as was a little bit of a challenge. We wanted him to look cute, be comfortable, and to be something later in life he'd not be too embarrassed by, and still be unique!

The fun part for me is creating the costume. I love doing DIY projects. So this year he's going to be a baby lion cub! I found the sweetest little hat on etsy that is handmade to fit his sweet little face. I then found a furry jacket to match and then some brown leggings.  We wanted to do little paws but I couldn't find anything that would work so we settled on some adorable brown baby uggs (they're actually the same uggs we held in our hands for our pregnancy announcement holiday card last Christmas, so adorable that now he's here to wear them!).  I was going to make his costume with fur on his tummy on one of his onesies but it will be way to cold for him to wear that at night trick or treating. So the jacket worked out great! My favorite part is going to be the whiskers and tiny nose I'm going to draw in his chubby little cheeks and sweet button nose! 

I can't wait to see him all done up.  I'll share some photos later, but I just wanted to wish everyone a happy halloween and tell everyone to be safe and have fun! 

We'll be trick or treating with our friends and family tomight  It's very special because it's Cash's first Halloween as well as his cousins who turns one this Saturday! They're 8 and a half months apart and I found out I was pregnant 1 week after he was born! We are so excited for them to be so close in age and grow close as they get older!

Eat lots of candy & take tons of photos!

Have a lovely day! 

Beauty From Ashes: Family Fun, Health Scares, And Hallways

Beauty From Ashes: Family Fun, Health Scares, And Hallways

(this was typed on my iPad, excuse any typos)

If you follow me on Instagram you know that my little one had to go to urgent care Sunday evening.. We had dropped off our little trooper at his grandparents house in the early afternoon so my hubs and I could go on a day date and see our first movie since before having our sweet boy. We enjoyed just being able to put our feet up and relax and have adult time with just the two of us. Not a care in the world, our minds wondered off into the film while holding hands and eating our food that we snuck in like high schoolers. I sure love this man and getting him alone all to myself.

When we returned to pick up Cash he was happy as can be fresh from a nap and excited to be back in this mamas arms. His grammy was helping us get his things together and telling us how much fun they had together when she brought it to our attention that he had little markings on his legs and she wondered what they were or if we knew they were there. Immediately my mama heart skipped a beat and I lifted his little pant leg to see these"markings". There they were, 10 faint little purple dots as though someone had drawn on him with a tiny pen tip.  Both legs. Only on his calves.  No where else.  I was confused because we hadn't done anything different. We hadnt changed his detergent, body lotion, soap, or anything that would cause a rash. And these little markings weren't raised, they seemed to be under the skin which made me worry.

Immediately after getting home I got on the Internet (I know, I know, bad idea but i had to know what it could be). I didn't really think it could be from anything too bad but I needed to make sure we took care of whatever was causing it.  The only thing I found that matched exactly what he had on his legs was a rash caused from meningitis (which his was not nearly as bad as the photos shown on google) or something having to do with his blood platelets or fighting a virus. Every website said we should call our Dr immediately, so of course that's what we did. With it being Sunday our office had a call center forwarding to the Dr on call which that day happened to be CHOC hospital.. Whom told us to do a glass test in which you roll a glass over the area with the markings and if they don't disappeard when the glass is pressed against the skin the. You need to go in immediately, if the markings go away it's probably nothing to worry about and just a rash. Well, his markings didn't disappear or fade at all so the Dr sent us to an urgent care called Kids Doc with a pediatrician.  We weren't happy about having to take him in to a place where a ton of sick kids would be, being only 3 months old that's just not a great idea during flu season.  So they recommended we wait in the hall instead of the waiting room. Cash was acting fine, had no fever, was smiling and being his happy little self, he was sleeping normal, eating normal, and his amount of diapers hadn't changed. I didn't think anything would be wrong but we knew we had to be certain. Cash doesn't have a voice or a choice yet which means we as his parents, are his voice and his advocate. We need to protect him and make sure he is safe, happy, and healthy. It's always better to be cautious and on the safer side with a new baby and being first time parents.  So we waited and waited....

Cash was asleep by 6:30 in his carseat (he goes to bed between 6 and 6:30 every night so we let him sleep in his carseat because we knew there was a possibility this could be a long night if they decided to send us to the hospital for blood work etc.)  My husband and I decided to take advantage of it being just the two of us sitting there in the hallway waiting. I came up with the idea of playing a game: we were to come up with 3 truths and 2 lies about ourselves and the other had to guess which two were the lies. This was such a hard thing to do because we know each other so well, we know mostly everything about each other so to come up with things we hadn't yet told one another was difficult but so fun! I won't get into the stories we came up with or any of that but I will say we sat there for hours laughing hysterically and having so much fun. There were no distractions, Cash as resting peacefully, the halls were quiet, our phones were silenced, no TV or book in sight, no computer or gadget to tempt us.  It was just him & I being creative, giving each other our undivided attention to play a game, have a bit of fun, and learn more about one another. There was a moment where I paused and soaked up the goodness that was occurring. I remember thinking about how much fun we were having being goofballs there in the hallway late at night, just like when we first fell in love, you wanted to get to know that person and spend as much time with them as humanly possible.  He had my attention, my eyes were solely on him, glued as I watched him play with me like kids.  We acted out voices and scenes from movies, and the other had to guess what actors voice it was and from which film. I nearly peed myself doing my best impersonations of actors such as Leo in Romeo and Juliet, Christopher Walken in Click and Ariel in The Little Mermaid . It reminded me that we have so many choices in life..we can choose to be worriers or people of faith. We can choose to be negative and pessimists or we can look at each situation in a positive way as an opportunity for something great. We can get out of the way and allow God to create beauty from ashes.

(Side note:  Our little guy ended up being completely healthy.  The dr thinks it was just broken capillaries from his carseat, diaper or pants being too tight, or someone holding him awkwardly that day. We aren't sure, and may never know. That's ok, I just needed to know he was alright and now to keep a watchful eye on him to make sure it goes away.)

Later that evening when we returned to our cozy little home, I giggled and told my husband how nice it was to play there in the hallway with him... He chuckled and said, "ya, maybe we should visit hallways more often".

I know hallways aren't necessary to get us to rid ourselves of all the daily distractions of life, good and bad, we need to be able to be diciplined and intentional about doing this on our own.  We check in with each other often on what we could do to better ourselves and our marriage.. This week we decided to be more playful, but in a simple way. Last week we wanted to plan for more adventure.. So we did. But this week it's about simplicity, the playfulness that comes out naturally, creatively, it's a part of our making... That's the rawness and realness I love and there's no other human on this planet that I'd rather have fun with.

3 Months Postpartum, Body Talk: Postpartum PRESSURE Women Face

3 Months Postpartum, Body Talk: Postpartum PRESSURE Women Face

(As women this is heartbreaking to see)

Its been 7 weeks since I was cleared to "work out" again. I think I started doing light cardio the first week or two after I was cleared and then upped my game just a bit by then slowly lifting light weights again in a 24 hour gym class once a week.  Then i went to twice a week the last 3 weeks.  Its funny because I dont really feel that I look any different than 8 weeks postpartum, and havent lost any weight since 3 weeks postpartum (although i discussed how silly the number on the scale is on my last fitness post about being 2 months postpartum.. go back and read if your interested).  I may not look different or weigh any less, but I FEEL different. I feel physically strong when I work out, I feel empowered physically and emotionally after a great sweat sesh.  I also feel lighter, less stressed, and get that great endorphine boost.  I feel like im doing something great for  my body and being an exmaple of health to my family and community around me.  My body might just decide to hold on to that last 2 lbs of baby weight, and two pounds in my opinion is nothing.  Its nothing to waist time thinking about, or kill myself trying to lose when I have the greatest joy waiting at home for me, my two boys. I know I mentioned this before, but it really sank in for me this last month. I treasure my time with my son. I dont want to miss a beat. Although, I do love getting "me" time and going to work out really quick.. it gives me time to miss him, to appreciate the time i am with him even more, and it helps me stay sane to be an individual again for just a moment without him attached to me. LOL.  When I came across what Kristen Bell had to say I just had to share!! She has such a great message & put it into words perfectly, 

"I'm definitely trying to lose [the baby weight] — I want to be clear. But I'm not letting it keep me up at night and I am not letting it become the narrative of my life for the next year," Bell told E! News.

As for those mothers who feel like they have to lose the weight overnight, she said, "It's like, by the way, don't you want to look like you've had a baby? I'm sitting here with you, I'm crunched over, I have a huge muffin top—who cares?!"

In yet another interview about being asked about losing the baby weight she responded,

"Look, I'm like any other woman. All this evolved b.s. that I'm telling you is my mantra: It's not something I practice naturally. I had to surrender to not worrying about the way I looked, how much I weighed, because that's just part of the journey of having a baby. I am not a woman whose self-worth comes from her dress size."

"I'm going to continue working out and see where it goes. I'd like to get back down to where I was before the baby... but if this is where my body wants to be, so be it. I'm not going to make myself miserable for the rest of my life trying to get back to where I was before."

Heres the link to read what the author of this post had to say.. i highly recomend reading on: Kristen Bell Interview

My favorite part of what she had to say is, "but if this is where my body wants to be, so be it. I'm not going to make myself miserable for the rest of my life trying to get back to where I was before."  I just LOVE this.  Let our bodies be where they are intended to be. I'm not Kristen Bell, & she isnt me. Im not Jessica Simpson, Kim Kardashian, kate Middleton, my sisters, my friends, or YOU. And none of them or you are me either.  Which just means that we need to let go of what the media and everyone around us tells us to look like or what we are supposed to be like. . . because we arent supposed to be any of those ideas or any of those models or people the world tells us to be. . . God created you and I to be just that, you... yourself.. and I .. myself.  I am only me.  I cannot be or look like anyone else. And we can go our entire lives striving to look like another person, when our bodies are not capable of that, and be miserable and never achieve our goal.. OR we can quit wasting our time and energy and achieve something that is attainable.. self love. SELF ACCEPTANCE. Embracing who you were created to be. If we are healthy and live a balanced life our bodies will look exactly what they are supposed to look like.  You are PERFECT the way you are, not according to the worlds standards maybe, but according to our Creators.  He made you.  And He made you uniquely you so that you would be special. 

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14

Its crazy to me the pressure our society puts on women to look a certain way when no two people are exactly the same. Our world is trying to force us to fit this mold of what the ideal women looks like when this just isnt possible for every person to look that specific way. All you ladies know what "look" im talking about.  I don't even need to describe it because its pushed so heavily in our faces that every woman knows exactly what im referring to.  Lets be unique and embrace the body we do have, and love the body we have.  Lets surrender and accept ourselves.  This has been my goal and my view for many years now. For the most part I have it down, I try not to allow the media and others to influence the way I feel about myself. I try my best to view myself from God's eyes, try is the key word here. Sometimes I fail, but its momentarily, then I get right back up & He reminds me of who I am, and Who's I am.  I'm His & I am "wonderfully made".."altogether beautiful" (Song of Solemn 4:7).  

So any time temptation strikes & people are focused on my weight after having my perfect little bundle of baby... I stop in my tracks and remind myself that just because everyone else is focused on my weight, or what I look like, or what they look like, etc.. I dont need to be, nor do I need to care. My focus is on my son right there in front of me, and being an example of loving myself, having self value, self worth, and seeing myself through Gods eyes. My son will have a mother who knows this truth, a mother that can teach him the same truth & then he will be an example one day & know how to look at himself, his sisters/brothers, his own wife, and eventually his own children. Lets not only view ourselves through this new loving lens, let us also see others through Gods loving eyes.. because afterall, aren't we all his wonderful creation?

Im hesitant to even post a picture of my tummy progress after having a baby.. but I see it as a way to show where Im at today and to say that I love my new body & Im proud of the strength it has.  We can be strong women inside and out.  Thank you God for creating me, thank you for giving me a healthy body that can walk, move, have fun, be active, and most incredibly and importantly, birth my child.  I am so very thankful.  And truly truly blessed and undeserving.

My Baby Boy Is Three Months Old!

My Baby Boy Is Three Months Old:

My sweet son, I can't believe how quickly you are growing! Im watching you nap right now as I type this post just stealing a moment of how tiny and small you are.  I love to watch you, these days thats my favorite thing to do. I have so much joy in my heart observing you learning more each day & turning into this little man with such a big personality! Being a mom has changed me, its changed mommy and daddys marriage, its changed our entire life.  I love the way your daddy plays with you and is so gentle when putting you to sleep but quickly forgets how little you still are when he gets the urge to tickle you, toss you up in the air, and play with you like you are a big boy. Its the sweetest because you are so kind to him, I think you know we're still learning too.  I can tell that you are already so in love with us too, you give my whole body chills when you stair at me straight in the eyes after you're done eating and start smiling so BIIIG. You have sweet little dimples in your smile lines & your eyes smile as your lips curve up. Everyone says you have flirty eyes.. I agree.  You flirt with me all day long and make mama feels so special.  Your little soul brightens my world so very much.

My favorite time of the day is the morning and the night with you. In the morning you are so so happy to be awake, you are also really well rested after sleeping 13 1/2 hours, you pretty much feel refreshed and let everyone around you know you are ready to party! You want to play and talk for a good solid hour, then you get sleepy again and take your first nap (typically 1-2 hours).  Night time is also my favorite because mommy and daddy get time together with you. You are also up for 2 hours (which usually you only are up for 1 hour in between your naps) before your bed time from 4-6pm. We get to give you a bath, put lotion on you, read you books, and watch you smile and coo while we talk to you, sing to you and make funny faces at you.  One thing I want to never forget is how soft your little hands are.. whether you are guiding my hand putting your binky into your mouth (you gently push your hand against the back of mine), or how you grab at my chest when you are eating, or how you touch my face with your hands when im leaning over you when you are playing on the ground, your hands are always so soft and warm and I never want to forget.  They smell sweet like milk from you stuffing them into your mouth (which is so adorable and keeps you entertained for quite some time).

Daddy put you on the scale with him last week (12 weeks old) and you weighed somewhere around 12 lbs..im pretty sure you are much bigger this week because you are going through a definite growth spurt. You went from being my little problem eater (eating only for 5 minutes on one side total) to my great eater! You now eat around 8 mins on average during the day and at morning and night you eat anywhere from 9-13 mins.  BIG improvement.  Your sleep has been interrupted because of this growth spurt, you are waking up often to eat now..every 2-3 hours the last 2 days. But before that you were sleeping 13 1/2 hours from 6pm to 7:30am with one dream feed at 10:30pm and waking to eat at 4am.  You put yourself to sleep... sometimes for naps you wake up wanting your binky but you fall right back asleep.  You'e been doing 3-4 naps a day this past month from 1-2 hours each. 

You dont full on belly laugh just yet but you make a silly little giggly high pitched noise sometimes when you smile (like a semi laugh).  You do tummy time without crying now but only for short periods, you rolled over twice for daddy this wek (13 weeks old).  You are obsessed with your piano toy and love kicking the key board and batting at the toys hanging above your head.  You coo & talk up a storm while youre playing. The moment you see yourself  in the mirror on this toy you light up & a huge smile spreads across your face!  Its the cutest thing!  You're wearing 0-3 month clothes now.  You are a perfect baby & only cry for 10 or so minutes right before bed around 5:30pm or when you're hungry or wake too early from your nap & want to go back down.  

You are such a joy & a blesing to mommy & daddys lives!

Fashion: Winter Coats

Fashion: Winter Coats

I LOVE winter, I love the holiday season and everything that comes with it! I adore rainy days and sipping on hot frothy drinks while cuddling up to your loved ones inside and watching holiday movies. I love all of the yummy feasts, parties, and people you get to see that come in from out of town.  I enjoy venturing to Big Bear or Mammoth to see the snow and snowboard witih my family. I love playing holiday games with big groups of people by the fire and hosting get togethers. Even more so, I love the meaning behind Christmas and remember what God did for us through the birth of His son. I also truly love a good winter wardrobe! This post is dedicated to finding great winter pieces to sport this season. Im a big fan of finding a couple great quality pieces that are neutral that you can mix and match with a ton of different outfits and dress up or dress down.

Blank Leather Jackets · Via Spiga Jackets · Forever 21 Leather Jackets

Im all about LEATHER for winter, peacoats, blazers, burgundy coats, army inspired jackets, long sweaters,  and faux fur!
*Click on the picture for details



Here are some really cute winter budget friendly pieces from good ol' Forever 21.. remember they go FAST ...sorry if some of them are unavailable by the time you see this post.
*Click on the picture for details

Forever 21 Crewnecks & Scoopnecks · Forever 21 Sweaters · Forever 21 Jackets

I included sweaters, long sleeves, and jackets.  Im a huge fan of baggy soft thin sweaters like this grey one and beige on on the first page.  Again here is the army green military inspired jacket, and camo! Anything black and white with a fun pattern has my name written all over it. And love red and burgundy's as i said above.. they're just so festive!
By the way its FREE SHIPPING on orders of $50+  !! Get your christmas list done now!

Here are some cardigans im loving for Fall/Winter: Im still deciding which ones im going to purchase but these have all won over my heart.

*Click on the picture for details

BB Dakota Cardigans · Free People Cardigans · Jessica Simpson Cardigans


I have a terrible obsession with scarves, here are just a few i snatched up:

*Click on the picture for details

Asos Scarves & Wraps · Vero Moda Scarves & Wraps · Forever 21 Scarves & Wraps

I definitely need that bottom right one! & would love to get my hands on that faux fur for a holiday party get up.


Lastly, Im so into leather leggings and pants! Here are some great options, again, i want them all...but im holding myself back & will allow a splurge on one or two!  The first pair are Rag and Bone and a hefty $495!!! so when you check out the other prices of similar looks you will be so pleased to see they're as low as $15!!  Get excited.. i am. ( :

*Click on the picture for details

By the way, these army green leggings.. are you kidding me. SO GOOD.   '( :

Charlotte Russe Leggings · Forever 21 Leggings · Forever 21 Skinny Pants








Happy Shopping Ladies!!! 

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin Patch Lovin':

A couple weekends ago we went to the pumpkin patch and it was so fun to watch Cash acknowledge all the little farm animals.  There was a lot going on at Pumpkin City (Laguna Hills, CA) so his eyes were scanning the place left and right! I think he really enjoyed seeing all of the bright pumpkins too.  Im excited for next year when he can run around and pick his own pumpkin, but for now mama carried him and showed him all the neat things to look at and learn from.  I love venturing out with my husband and doing fun things as a family, its one of my greatest passions!

This little one needs some sunnies!

He was smaller than some of the pumpkins ( ;

This sweet little lamby was totally getting flirty with Cashy

What husband doesnt look hot with a little baby in his hands

Happy Day!

Everyday Makeup Look: Great for Fall

An Everyday Makeup Look: Great for Fall

Taken in natural lighting without flash. 

  Taken with a flash

 I used Blush Brush Mac 161S, and two of their eyeshadow brushes 163S, and 165S

I use Loreal Brow stylist pencil to fill in any empty spaces in my eyebrows.  Eyebrows really help shape your face and can change your entire look 

I used these three Mac eyeshadows: "Jest", "all that glitters", "sketch".  I use All that Glitters all over my eyelid below the crease. I use Jest in the corner of my eye on the top and bottom.  I use Sketch on the corner of my eyelid and the outer edge of my crease. Sketch is a great color for green eyes, it makes them pop! It has a bit of a maroon tint to it.  One that I didnt use that i LOVE is called Satin Taupe, i use it all over my lid by itself or will darken my crease with a tiny bit of matte brown shadow for more of a dramatic look.  

I used the bronze color on the bottom right, this is from a Loreal eyeshadow palet. I use this under my bottom lashes on top of smudged black pencil eyeliner to soften the look.  I included the bronze shadow but its in a different palet now (mixed with a lighter gold).

I used the bottom brown matte color from a Lancome palet i have. I used this all over the crease of my eyelid. I included one similar below.

I put eyeliner half way on my top lid starting from the outside to the center of my eye and then i lightly line the bottom lashes and shade bronze over it to soften the look.   Then add mascara, bronzer(included below), blush and you are good to go!  I included my favorite mascara again because I get a lot of questions about which one I use.  These are all very neutral colors that you can play with and mix and match.

Click for details*

M·A·C Eye Shadow · M·A·C Eye Makeup · L'Oreal Eyebrow Enhancers