2012 in a nutshell..

This year has FLOWN by. Maybe it's because most of 2012 was kind of a blur...a newborn, lack of sleep, and trying to entertain a very active toddler! The year brought a new addition to our family, new job opportunities and travels. While there were many highlights to the year, here are just a few of my favorites...

JANUARY

I was so honored to be asked to write for Project Nursery this year. My contribution to their blog is focused on Maternity and Mom Style. I have loved covering Celeb Bump Watch, and 2013 will be fabulous with having Kate Middleton as a Mom to be! 

I also started writing for a local publication called Simply KC Magazine. I write the monthly Style Buzz section as well as an occasional Beauty and Home article.

In addition to writing, I have added "stylist" to my resume as I joined the team at Style Spies. I am fulfilling the dream of styling clients in Kansas City with wardrobe consultations and personal shopping appointments. I am also styling monthly News Segments with The Legends Outlets Kansas City. I loved working with some new clients and friends throughout the year and am looking forward to adding some new clients in 2013! 

FEBRUARY

We celebrated the 40th of one of my dearest friends here in Kansas City. She doesn't look a day over 25, right?! Love you Sus! 

MARCH

My darling friends Rachel and Susan threw me the loveliest "sprinkle" in honor of our baby girl. It was a ballet theme, complete with every shade of pink, tulle and a gorgeous, tutu skirted sweets table.  

my Mom and I

 Me and the hostesses

APRIL

Surprise! Our baby girl decides to come 2 weeks early...and we also were surprised to find out she was breech! One hour and a c-section later, we had a beautiful baby girl born 12:30 AM on the 14th of April. 

I love this moment so much, it brings tears to my eyes. Our son has been the best big brother from the start. She will always have a protector in her big brother. 

When in the hospital, we learned that Vivi's hips were a bit out of line. To prevent hip dysplasia, she had to wear this full body brace 24 hours a day. Imagine all the newborn diaper changes and having to undo this brace every single time. It was truly awful. But in the end they gave her the green light after 12 weeks to remove the brace. We will go back at 10 months to get another checkup to see if her hips are doing okay. Fingers crossed!!!

MAY

My husband and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on May 14th. Again, it seems like this time has just flown by! He is hilarious, handsome, charming, an amazing father & husband and an incredible cook. He is definitely a keeper!

JUNE

I took the baby (at 8 weeks old) on her first flight to Chicago to visit my best friends. 

A view from the west loop

best friends

Sorority Sisters

ZTA Babies 

She was an amazing little traveler!

JULY

We spent whatever time we could at the pool, although it was SO blazing hot this summer. J took swimming lessons for the first time and jumped off the diving board for the first time. By the end of the summer, he was quite the little fish!

I took this picture on Father's Day...it is one of my favorites.

We also took a road trip to Minnesota to see my parents. We stopped in Omaha to visit the zoo, which was pretty awesome. Total time spent driving was about 20 hours. The kids did surprisingly well, even napping on occasion

My parents bought him this truck while we were there...can you see the joy in his face? Probably his best week ever.

AUGUST

We celebrated another friend's "big" birthday. This is one of my favorite pics from the summer; I am so missing a summer tan and all of these cheerful colors! 

We also had all of the cousins in town, so I photographed the kids as a birthday surprise for my Mother in Law...

SEPTEMBER

Our baby girl was baptized in the Catholic church. Such a beautiful and special day for our family...

Our little guy also turned 4 this year. We had a superhero/face painting party. We hired Sister Act Face painting who does an incredible job!!!

OCTOBER

My friends threw what I would say was one of the best birthday parties yet. It was an art party at a local gallery, Artichokes. We each got our own canvas, and with some guidance from a local artist we were able to create our own masterpiece. It was a blast, I highly recommend it for a group of girlfriends; there was a lot of giggling going on! 

My mom was in town and was able to join in the fun. She also gave me her piece and so now both of these hang in my bathroom. 

Sarah and Maria hard at work....

The budding artists

The kids on Halloween...J was a Transformer and we just did V in a ghost themed costume with a custom headband, tutu and onesie. 

NOVEMBER

Thanksgiving was incredibly warm this year...J has on short sleeves and the grass was still green!

We also had some family photos taken in November by the lovely Corie from Peep Toe Photography. We loved how they turned out!

DECEMBER 

Our trip to Chicago with our California friends was incredible. A highlight for me was dinner at RPM, a hot spot right now. And thankfully, the restaurant lived up to the hype! No Bill or Guiliana sightings though; such a bummer...

The holidays could not have been more precious this year. It's fun to see the magic through a child's eyes, and I am already looking forward to next year as they get a little older. 

 For 2013 I am looking forward to expanding my styling business, continuing to write and hopefully add some new writing jobs to the list. We already have a few trips planned in the works to weddings in Houston and Mexico. And of course, I am already planning our baby girls first birthday!

Happy New Year to you all, and thank you for continuing to read my blog...stay tuned to a newly redesigned site soon to come!!! 

Blogs to follow...

I was cracking up when blogger sent me a notification that I can't add any more blogs to my reading list. seriously. There are just so many good ones! If you are looking to add some new blogs to your reading list, then I have a few lovelies for you...

C.Style is a cute mom/stylist/blogger from Houston who shares style tips and fun finds from her shopping excursions. I love her style because it's wearable and very "mom" friendly (aka...always on the go...). She shows how you can be effortless & chic all at the same time!

Domicile Blog is a fabulous home decor blog written by a childhood friend of mine. Her blog is filled with gorgeous images to inspire and some snippets from her own home (which is quite enviable!).

Megan is another Charleston blogger bringing her Southern Charm and good taste to her blog, Style Me Swanky. She's cute as a button, and she shares great finds from beauty to decor as well as tidbits from her personal life as a soon to be newlywed!