a weekend in pictures

a breakfast fit for a Charlie and a Penelope 

this kid tried eating the paint and then freaked out when his hands got dirty so I busted out
the q-tips. thank god for homemade finger paint!! 

it's okay, Penelope. it's easy to get caught in my hair 

oversized pinatas are a must for any cinco de mayo party

more about 18 months

This past Monday was Charlie's 18 month "birthday". I kept getting weepy throughout the day. How is my baby almost two?! Where does the time go? I feel like we were just celebrating his first birthday! Since 18 months is a BIG deal, I decided to try to make the day extra special for him. We took Penelope on extra walks (a perk for both of them), made pizzas for lunch and dinner, took a few trips to the park, etc. Auntie Hope (one of my best friends and Charlie's god mama whom he shares a bday with) paid a visit which made us so happy. Little tidbit: We originally we're gonna have Auntie Hope take Penelope when we found her but our beloved Ringo and her weren't a fan of one another. So this is how we ended with Penelope. I have been insanely busy lately so I've not only been slacking in the blogging department but also taking legit photos with my "real" camera. I even made sure Charlie had a tinfoil hat since he missed out on one the other night except I failed miserably at trying to create one. We even finished the day off with a single somewhat healthy cupcake with a candle (that I had to blow out for him). 

Now that we're officially entering hardcore toddler years it's an interesting journey. They have so much they want to communicate but can't find the words or sometimes actions? You try to help them out as much as possible but they're still left frustrated. Toddlers live in this little world where they aren't very aware of others. Charlie can be like this but he's the ultra compassionate kind who will stop what he's doing to let you know he loves you. He does with Penelope too and it just warms my heart. Did I tell you how much I love this kid? Motherhood has been one of the biggest learning experiences. Watching your child grow from this little helpless baby into this little human being is one of the best things you could ever witness. I'm amazed with how much he's a mix of his father and I. Seriously. It's insane. This kid is so lucky to have the amount of love that he does on a consistent basis from his father and I and the people we've chosen to surround ourselves with.  

Life has already been crazy the past few weeks thanks to Charlie, rescuing Penelope and trying to get her acclimated to her new life, relationships, projects, weddings, etc. It's about to even get crazier cause we're throwing a move into the mix along with other plans that I can't currently talk about but get me so darn giddy :) So if I'm MIA that's why. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!!   

snuggles with his best friend. look at that hand on penelope's paw - aww!

Since Charlie missed out on the tinfoil hat party we had recently, I constructed one
for him. I obviously need to leave the "sculpting" to John. Maybe I'm just the
"ideas" one :) 

i love them together 

Penelope & Charlie

When Penelope first entered our lives I had my hesitations towards the idea of a dog let alone taking on the responsibility of a puppy. A puppy = another toddler. You'd have to be crazy to take on both. You know how they say there is no perfect time to have a child? I'm convinced the same goes for having a dog. You just learn to adjust your life around this adorable little creature. Penelope entered our lives at just the right time. I'm currently at home with Charlie all through out the week so when he leaves to go with his papa, it tugs at my heart a bit. It's something you learn to adjust to but it's so hard sometimes to just hand him over, ya know? Now there's Penelope. She will never replace my Charlie but she brings a special joy and love to my life. She goes almost everywhere we with us and sometimes I won't go places if I can't bring her. I'm still learning to adjust to life with a small dog. She's about the size of a cat so she finds little hiding spots that give me a heart attack because I'm afraid she ran off somewhere.  

Another concern about Penelope was how she'd interact with Charlie and vice versa. I was concerned about dog bites, etc. All of those concerns have gone out the window. I basically have two little toddler running around the house one is just on four legs and the other is on two. Charlie and her play fetch with one another. Yes, I said one another. She will place something across the room and Charlie goes after it. I've learned to make similar meals through out the day so one doesn't get jealous of what the other is eating. I of course make slight adjustments to both of their meals for their dietary needs. She could care less if Charlie is trying to pet her and he gets slightly rough or he crawls over to get to something else. They're partners in crime together. It reminds me of my relationship I had with my first dog, Tippy. He was a little mutt that we found in a dumpster when we lived in Texas. He looked like a little Scottish terrier. I used to pretend he had a Scottish accent (blame lady and the tramp). Whitney Houston may have had Kevin Costner to protect her but Rachel had Tippy. 

Thank you for entering our lives, Penelope. You have no idea how much joy you bring us on a daily basis. xoxo  

Mother's Day gift ideas

Too bad they aren't french bulldog ears but these kitty ears will pass. Too cute!

 Mother's Day... the day to show your appreciation for the mama in your life with flowers and brunches. While I'm a fan of brunches I'm not a fan of flowers (they're pretty and I love the bouquets people come up with but I'm allergic - hardcore). It's holidays like these that most women in the blogging world make gift guides and I will be joining in on the fun as well. Here are some items that I'm currently drooling over. To be honest, it was hard creating this. There was nothing I was "dying" to have. Oh, and people out there buying for mother's - don't buy them presents that their child can use or that's for their child. They deserve to be spoiled. Treat those mamas out there well. They have a very tough job :)

About a month or so ago I visited the dry bar for my first time and I was blown away (pun intended).
It was kinda like heaven in there. I had an assortment of magazines at my fingertips, an adult beverage
and no one was jumping on my leg or slapping the fridge for food. I normally hate getting my hair done
(long hair = takes forever) but this is a real treat! 

i've been wanting one of these since I was pregnant. i have a cute little rhinestone one that I received
at my baby shower and i still wear it but i really want one of these stamped ones. would it be weird
to get two because Penelope has recently joined the family? yes? 

I discovered this place when I was pregnant. While I'm normally not into getting my nails done
reguarly (I pick my nailpolish off the next day) this was a nice treat and I love how clean and relaxing
this place is.

my best friend and I found this tank top as we were leaving forever 21 the other day.
safe to say we're obsessed with it. i'm sure my mom would cringe at the fact
that i'm putting this on here but c'mon! who doesn't love biggie?! 

I have always had a love for mason jars. Maybe those 3 years spent living in Texas are to blame?
While browsing on etsy I found this and I'm instantly obsessed with it.
Mason Jar + French bulldog = obsessed
I've been DYING to own a french bulldog for years now (Sorry Penelope).

love! love! love!

a mama can dream, right?

My clutch collection is a bit outdated. This would be perfect for the rare occasion I go out or even
the perfect size to throw into the diaper bag. I would give this a clutch a nice home!

I'm just throwing this on here because I always throw a laptop and a camera on any "gift idea" list I create. Why? My computer is a dinosaur. I wish I could be exaggerating but I'm not. Half the time I can't visit websites or do certain things on it because the software is outdated and it's a bit too much $$ to update. I'm sure I could replace the battery so it wouldn't need to stay plugged in all the time but I barely have enough time to take an uninterrupted shower. I'm surprised I'm able to quickly bust out this post. Oh, and my dinosaur of a computer also has a half broken cord. Yup, it's always powering down for no reason. Mama needs new computer - stat!! 

I've been wanting an SLR for years now.. YEARS! As Charlie gets older and now that I have Penelope,
I feel the need for a better camera. A mama can dream, right? 

a weekend in pictures

does this bathroom make me look pink?

I've always wanted a Peter Pan hat and I finally got one - even if it's just a tinfoil version :) 

If you spend too much time shopping for home furnishings, I will entertain myself by doing this

"this is what makes us girls" 

18 months

When you turn 18 months, I will buy you a cupcake and throw you a mini party.

My little love is 18 months today. Time has a funny way of just flying by. My little man impresses me every single day. Like today when he decided to start showing off how he can walk backwards. He is very intelligent, inquisitive, and ultra compassionate. I love how he points to almost everything and wants to know what they are. I love watching the world through his beautiful big blue eyes. I love when he stops what he's doing to come over and kiss me and returns to what he's doing. I love the interactions between him and Penelope and how much they love one another. Most of all I love how happy he is even on his "off" days which are far and few between (fingers crossed since we're approaching the terrible 2s). Charlie is a very special child. The amount of love he shows to everyone around him and the amount of the love this kid gets on a daily basis is pretty amazing. I hope as he gets older he's able to stay this well adjusted, this happy and knows how loved he is.

Charlie Graham,

I've said it before and I'll say it again. You complete me. You make my world go round. You make me a better person. You are hands down the most amazing person in my life and I'm so thankful for every waking moment we get together. No matter what, I'll always love you more than you will ever know.

xoxo,
Mama

ps: I did cry as I wrote this post (typical)

happy pinning

I'm a very visual person. Nothing makes me happier than finding pretty images. Before the days of pinterest my old toshiba was filled with random file folders filled with beautiful photos and word documents filled with quotes. Here are some recent finds that I had to share. Hope you all are enjoying your Thursday. It's almost the weekend! xoxo 

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