Our Weekend

We had quite a busy weekend! We had 2 fun birthday celebrations. The first was for my best friend Susan. We made it a girls night with a dinner at Cooper's Hawk Winery which recently opened on the Country Club Plaza. I thought the food was good; a highlight being the warm pretzel bread that they bring you to start (I could have eaten that all night). The downside is the wine! Maybe I am just spoiled because my husband buys such good wine. I ordered the bubbly flight and I only finished 2 of the 4. They were really quite sweet, reminiscent of Boone's which made me quite sick in college.

We had 10 girls, and lots of laughter and good conversation. We did a round table discussion about our favorite budget and splurge beauty buys. I loved hearing everyone's answers! One budget item that I will definitely add to my lip gloss collection is Revlon Peach Petal lip gloss; which is said to be the best nude lipgloss out there. And, it will only set you back about $7.

And if I could afford it, I would definitely try my friend Susan's pick, Photodynamic Therapy liquid red light anti-aging SPF by DermaDoctor. This product apparently takes the UV rays we are exposed to and transforms them into an effective wavelength of rejuvenating  red light, which is a proven energy source for eliciting anti-aging effects on the skin. I am not going to share my friend Susan's exact age, but I will tell you she is over 35. Look at her skin...it's unreal.

Sunday we celebrated the 1st birthday of one of my closest friend's little boy. He also happens to be my baby girl's first crush. He is sweet as can be and was such a good boy on his birthday! 

Aren't they so sweet? 

Now we are preparing for snow storm #2!!!! We have not had school for a week; to say that we are stir crazy is a bit of an understatement. Filling 12 hours a day with a 4 year old and a 10 month old is not easy. If you have any great at-home entertainment, please share!!!

Girl Time

I swear it must be Murphy's law...you go away for the weekend and have the time of your life and return with an awful cold. Oh well, it was totally worth it. We had the most unbelievable weather in Arizona. It was 75 and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. We soaked up every minute of the sun and talked and laughed for 2 days straight, leaving me without a voice on Sunday. My husband thought we had been out partying. Mind you we had 2 pregos in the group; the extent of my partying was having one two many glasses of wine at the golf club for dinner. 

And some instagram shots...

A favorite spot to sit and have lunch pool side...

Oh yes, this definitely happened. I can't go to AZ without hitting up In N Out burger. The.Best.Burger.EVER.

We actually worked out everyday while we were there. You probably think we are crazy, why not sleep in? It's just hard when you are used to waking up at 6AM everyday. There is nothing better than going for a run in the cool, dessert air. 

One of the best parts about having time with your girlfriends is just chatting about everything...from our kids to our husbands, food, t.v., movies and of course beauty products and fashion. I picked up some tips from my besties this weekend and thought I would share...

My friend Emily had on the most amazing pair of dark skinnies that I decided need to make their way into my closet. They are the Paige Skyline Skinny in the Carson Wash. Super dark, and super slimming. The rise was also perfect; not too low and not too high. 

You know I loooove beauty products and it is rare I come across a product I have never heard of. My friend Kami (who should be a makeup artist, she is so good at it) had a tube of Lip Butter by Korres. This stuff is amazing! It truly is buttery and has just a hint of shimmer and it smells absolutely delicious.  I would use this everyday just for a touch of color and shine. It comes in a few great shades to choose from. 

And for all you pregos out there, this dress is the most flattering maxi dress I have seen. My friend Jayme had this on in black and it was so simple, yet the cut was so cute on. It's bra friendly and the side ruching gives you some shape. I love it paired with a big statement necklace and some fun sandals. They are also on sale right now on Oldnavy.com for $25! 

Happy Heart Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! How will you be spending the day?  I am starting the day with my son's party at school, which should be fun. I love seeing him in his classroom with all of his buddies. He also has a HUGE crush on one of his teachers. In fact, yesterday he asked me if Mrs.G would be coming to school in car pajamas for the party...no son, probably not. Kids are funny..

Then, I am ending the day in a bit of an unconventional way. I am actually flying to meet my girlfriends in Arizona for a girls only, spa, sun and relaxation weekend. Could you think of a better Valentine's Gift? I think not! I can hardly wait...it's been almost 2 years since we have all been together. Many thanks to the husband's for letting us sneak away for a few days and holding down the fort with all of the kiddos. s

There is truly nothing better than best girlfriends. I would be lost without these ladies!

Have a great holiday with your loved ones! I will be back on Monday...and hopefully well rested with a nice tan! xoxo

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!!!