to poncho

poncho- Free People

after reading nat the fat rat's babble post on poncho's(yes, i am rather obsessed with her- blog, babble, twitter, instagram, etc- she's pretty great in my book), i became fixated on getting one(now i need another). so after searching high and low, i found the beauty pictured above. i prefer the blanket-like version, and i am so glad that i went with it!

i finally wore it today, just running boring errands, and not only is it cute, but it doubled as a baby blanket to bundle my little guy up in when he conked out at the grocery store(kicking myself for not taking a picture:/)

so to answer natalie's question- YES, i will poncho!!!!

a sneak peak

saturday we had the most amazing family photo shoot with this guy! and i do mean AMAZING! my husband typically hates having his picture taken, but thomas made it such a laid back experience, and i am just bursting with excitement from the sneak peaks!!! (plus it's so refreshing to having something other than insta-photos to post. don't judge me, like i've said, i have no one willing to take them)

in other news, i am officially part-time now!!!! so happy to get to spend more time with my boys, and hopefully achieve a better home/life/work balance. after all, it is the lady who holds it all together, right? 

this basically expresses my excitement over my life;)

hope you all have had a fantastic weekend!!!

a day at the aquarium

 this past weekend we went to the baltimore aquarium. and let me tell you, it is SO much more fun going with your child. jude isn't yet 8 months old, but he was loving the dim setting with bright tanks! and i was loving the sushi we had for lunch.

i always knew that re-experiencing life with jude would be fantastic, but my imaginings paled in comparison to the real thing. i absolutely LOVE our little family adventures! 

                         we literally saw it all(as expensive as the tickets are, we were getting our moneys worth)
                                                             so the poor little guy was pooped at the end

Sometimes I cry

for my friends who are missing their precious babies.... there are so many beloved children in heaven

for the unloved children...it just breaks my heart that they are born to those who don't/can't appreciate them

for the country...we undervalue life itself, and there are so many innocent and helpless caught in that distruction

Happy Birthday!

A very late post(seeing as a worked all day), but I wanted to wish a very happy birthday to sweet Noah and his rainbow baby sister Olivia!!!!!

I know I've spoken of baby-loss on here before, and Noah's story is one that has truly touched my life. After my dear friend Stephanie lost her sweet Bentley, blogs like Jenn's truly helped me to have insight to what she was facing and how I could help her as a friend. I've said it before and I'll say it again- if you know ANYONE who has lost a baby- please take the time to read a blog or a book or anything that will help you better understand. Baby and child loss should not be a taboo subject- these are the precious treasures that will FOREVER be missed by their families.

And on that note, I say again HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, NOAH!!!! You are forever remembered, by your sweet family and SO many others!!!

Mama Style- beauty

Being a mom doesn't mean I want to look frumpy and tired. However the times restraints do make "getting pretty" a more difficult task. So I try to keep it simple(not that I ever wore a lot of make up).

I always wear a moisturizer with at least SPF 15. Mascara is also a must, when your eyelashes are almost blonde.  Recently I've discovered a love for lipstick! Such a fun way to totally jazz up any look. I instantly feel like a lady. I do need to work of how exactly to wear it well all day- any suggestions?

My current fav is L'Oreal Colour Riche in Volcanic. It's that perfect shade of red-orange that is so fun for spring and summer. For a lipstick look that a little easier to wear, I love Revlon's ColorBurst Lip Butter in Lollipop and Candy Apple.

Random pic, but this one shows off my at home mani. I am SO EXCITED about Sally Hansen's Salon Effects nail polish strips! It's real polish in strips- just follow the box instructions(I also added a clear top coat). SO easy and it wears SOOOOO well!!! My normal nail polish usually looks awful the next day, but this polish lasted 10 days. By the end the polish was wearing off the tips, but it wears evenly. And for someone who is very  hard on her nails, 10 days is an eternity!

It's amazing how a little lipstick and a little polish makes me feel like a whole new woman. I look and feel so put together.

*i do not represent any mentioned company. i just love sharing products that work so well for me:)

139 days

that's how long this little boy has been a part of this outside world.

this is my favorite picture of us from today, while we're on vacation.

oh how i love him.