Catalina: Family Reunion Recap

 Catalina: Family Reunion Recap

Wow! I can't believe its been two weeks since i've blogged! Thats probably the longest i've gone in years. Anywho, I intended to post this Catalina family reunion recap a long time ago back in August when we went but at least I'm getting around to it right?! Playing catch up is what life seems to be about these days. My list of to dos is never ending and always growing it seems. We are currently all moved in, almost 2/3's unpacked and everythings coming together. The kitchen remodel is finished and there are no more workers coming in and out and i can say a big AMEN to that. Having a baby who likes to play and wants to go outside while you have to stay in all day with strangers in your home, well its not a fun scenerio.  Glad that is over and so happy with all of the finishing touches, ill share more on that soon. 

Back to Catalina, we went with a big gang of us. My mom has 5 sisters and most of them have kids, and some of those kids now are married and have kids, like myself, so this was so much fun and full of cousin and second cousin and third cousin lovin! We had the best time hanging out at the beach together, lounging around the cabanas and going kayaking, snorkling, and of course eating.  At night we went out to dinners and the little ones did great with staying up past bed time.  One night my sister's and I had our little cousins (who are now teenagers) babysit our littles so we could have a fun night out on the town. We went to kareoke and listened to a fun cover band in the square. It was so much fun to get some adult time with my siblings and extended family. My Nana is the reason we take these reunion trips each summer. My mom and her plan everything and make it easy for all of us with kids. They do such a great job of putting together fun events, like volleyball games and bbq's.  We are so grateful that family means so much to them and they have instilled those same beliefs and values in us.

^^^Misty is Cash's oldest cousin, and she is the sweetest little girl we could ever dream of^^^

^^^Of course the kiddos stop and dance for the street musicians^^^

^^^my sis and her little muffin^^^

^^^These cute little dear would let you come right up to them^^^

^^^Golf cart rides everywhere were a hit with this guy and all the cousins^^^

^^^BBQ'N and dancin with papa^^^

^^^underwater submarine was so much fun for the kids^^^

^^^our condo views were unreal!!^^^

^^^This is JUST my family and Nana.. we have grown quite big adding in our handsome husbands and babies. My brothers girlfriend is a doll and soon to be part of the family^^^

^^^Im pretty sure you can tell the by look on my face that kareoke is my jam"

^^^We are all July babies, myself, my husband, and my brother in laws birthdays are all within 4 days of each other. And then of course little baby Cash is a week ahead of us in July too! So we celebrated with Mexcian food (what else!) and cake!

^^^...and some toasting^^^

^^^We had a big condo with my sister, her husband and their little guy whos 8.5 months older than Cash. Every morning these guys would attack my hubby and were so adorable playing together^^^

^^^Our cute little balcony^^^

What We Wear: Little Baberham

 What We Wear: Little Baberham

I told ya life was crazy busy lately, well it still is, no surprise there, we are moving in this weekend to our new home, its official! The kitchen upgrades begin today! WOOOHOO and our home went from a warm yellow/beige to a delicious beige gray, otherwise known as "Griege" and im pretty happy about it.  Its so silly to even care about stuff like this but once you have a home i guess you just cant help but make it your own and style it to your familys personalities.  

My promise in doing this blog is to do my duty of staying as honest as possible and sharing my heart and the truth of where im at. This weekend was a rough one, it had more downs than id like to admit but we still had some great family memories as well. We closed escrow last Thursday and I think the stress of getting everything done in time and then beginning our renovations right away just started us off to a moody weekend. Both my husband and I were both really on edge and irritable. I think lack of sleep, change, and feeling a bit overwhelmed with house chores and moving can do that to ya pretty quickly. We would pray, we would sing worship songs, we would take breaks and go swim and play or eat a yummy meal.. but still, we were not ourselves as far as our attitude and mood goes. Since being a part of this social media world I think we all have observed how we share mostly the great moments, the beautiful memories, the special and sweet parts of our day or week, and that is because thats what we want to remember. I don't really have a desire to recall all of our moody days, irritable moments, or heart break.  I'd like to have our memories stored of those moments of Cash's first real steps, like last week (YAY!), the day my husband proposed, a delicious meal and the scents and colors that filled our home.  I want to remember the blessings and be thankful for them.  

The downfall with social media can be those of us that think that everyones life is really perfect, because we are only seeing a tiny piece of someones life.. all of the good.  So thats what this space is for, its to share the beauty of our lives with you all and store these memories here as a keepsake, but is has also become a ministry for me, a place where I can be genuine and transparent. I want to share pieces of our heart ache and hurst here not to remember them but to give others hope that they are not alone. I'd like to create community and real-ness here. There are people out there that don't have support, no one to talk to or pray with, people who feel that everyone else's life is perfect and they are out there struggling alone, other's who feel they have to keep all of their secrets inside and couldn't possibly share their pain or their problems.  If anything, i just want to step out in faith and lead in sharing our hurts because that is the only way through them,.. with support, with confession, asking for prayer, venting and getting things off your chest, surrendering that weight you carry, and not being 'as sick as your secrets'.  

Im not exactly sure where this post came from. I just know that was my heart this morning. I would love to hear from those of you that this post may impacted in some way.  Don't be afraid to share publicly in the comments either, thats how we can all connect to one another and step out of whatever fear inhibits us from being vulnerable. 

Today I want to share with you one of my sweet friends companies, Little Baberham. I'm really excited for this particular company because literally everything she makes is a d o r a b l e beyond belief.  You must follow her on instagram (@littlebaberham) and see photos of her darling little girls repping their shop product, its just too cute for words.  Lacey, the owner, makes headwraps & kimonos not just for your little ladies and babies but also for mama birds! Which i love because we don't have a little lady yet and I needed to get my hands on one of these so its good to know that she has styles and sizes for mommys too! 

Litte Baberham website

@littlebaberham instagram

Headwrap c/o Little Baberham

Crochet Maxi Forever21 (sold out, similar style here)

What We Wear: Boho Baby Boutique Romper

What We Wear: Boho Baby Boutique Romper

Hi lovelies, happy Monday!! This week is going to be a long but wonderful week because we will be closing escrow Thursday and officially be home owners! We are so beyond excited, feel overwhelmed with thankfulness and just consumed by Gods love and the blessings Hes bestowed on our little family. I can't begin to explain how undeserving I feel throughout this whole process of finding this home that is perfect for our sweet family, my heart just swells up with joy and grattitude and I don't really know what to do with all of this emotion except try to receive this gift from God and not question Him. 

Its been on our hearts this past year or so to serve Him in a greater way, we've been exploring and praying on what that looks like for quite some time and it seems like God has been shifting things around and moving in us to show us where He wants us and what exactly that looks like. Hes given us bits and pieces here and there but it seems the whole picture is coming together more and more and we are seeing what He's leading us into. I'm so excited and so glad my husband and I have been faithful in just trusting God during this season of the "unknown", we're still in that season but i feel like the fog is lifting slowly and we are gaining more clarity, which is nice for me because i'm a planner and i like to know where Hes taking us, even if God finds it humorous to continously teach me that im not in control and i need to just trust. Im thankful for this season, if anything I have learned Gods plan is always best for me and He continues to show that I can relax and know that Hes got us. 

Now on to some cuteness, this adorable little romper is by Boho Baby Boutique. I am crazy about her stuff because she creates orginal custom handmade pieces from recycled clothing! So you can take a sentimental shirt of grandpas or your husbands or your very own cardigan and create a sweet treasured timeless piece for your little one. You can pick different patterns and colors and buttons and zippers or even cute little patches to place on the romper. We went with this jean striped look with lots of blues because thats my favorite color on my sweet boy.  I paired it with our Starry Knight Design red moccs because those red buttons and moccs just make me so happy together.  The straps are adjustable so baby can grow with the romper, you can also unfold the legs or roll them up for a shorter look.

Theyre in the middle of revamping their website so check out their instagram @bohobabyboutique in the mean time! You can email them at bohobabyboutique@gmail.com for custom orders and be sure to use coupon code: BohoTABlog for 10% off ! When the website is up next month you'll be able to use this code there as well!

*photos taken a month or so ago. Little man has had his first hair "Trim" since then (;

Instagram @bohobabyboutique

Email: bohobabyboutique@gmail.com

Website: www.bohobabyboutique.com (launching October 2014)

Coupon Code 10% OFF: BohoTABlog  (type into email)

Moccasins c/o Starry Knight Design

Romper c/o Boho Baby Boutique

What We Wear: Mad Glam

What We Wear: Mad Glam

Hi beauties, the lack of posts this past week comes with good cause, we are in escrow for our first home! We will be moving mid September if all goes well so I have been a busy bee doing a ton of things for the house, signing documents, doing inspections, picking out new materials, all while trying to be the best wife and mama I can be and working part time. All great things but definitely keeping me busy. I wanted to quickly share this sweet little summer throw on dress! Mad Glam has such great priced options and this little number would be great for wearing over a bikini or a slip like i have on here.

*(photos c/o Kelsey Steindler Photography)

Floral dress c/o Mad Glam here

Enjoy!!

xo

What Is This Blog For & Talking About Healing

What Is This Blog For & Talking About Healing

I have this space here to store our memories, to keep me accountable to journaling and keeping a record of our life, i also share here because I believe its what God calls us to do, to live our lives honestly and openly, sharing our testimony, our story with others so we can relate to one another, join in on this journey with one another and know that we are not alone. Life is not easy, we live in a fallen world so we need each other more than we'll admit sometimes. I am so grateful for a place I feel safe enough to pour my heart out, obviously there are some things i dont share, some things maybe too personal or i feel I need to protect my family or friends in certain areas, but for the most part i try to be really trasparent. I TRY is the key word here.  It doesn't necessarily come natural to me to be so vulnerable and exposed. I grew up thinking I had to be perfect to be loved by someone, that if i showed my flaws or people saw the parts of me that I thought weren't "good enough" that maybe they wouldn't like me as much. I didn't know that this was a lie i was believing, i didn't even know i was thinking this way.. it was subconcious.  It wasn't until I was older that i learned that i had believed that lie for so long and let it shape most of my relationships. I thought i was open with people and one day it came to my attention that a lot of what I shared was what I felt safe sharing but what i needed to share with my close circle was what i needed prayer over, areas where i needed to lean on someone and needed their support or guidance.  How can you really ever be known and feel close to people if no one really knows your heart, your wondedness, the deepest thoughts and troubles that are on your mind? You can't. 

I am so thankful God has revealed this place in my heart that needed healing, and i am so very grateful that i have been restored and I no longer believe those same lies. I didn't come here to even write about this, it just sort of came out when i began typing.  Sometimes i have to remind myself of what im doing here. What this space is about for me. I want it to be an honest space, one where people can ask questions, share their own feelings and thoughts, and be kind to each other... a space where people feel understoond, heard, and connected. It is my hope that you feel as though you are not alone when you come to this blog of mine. With all of the busy-ness in life right now and over the past few months, I have asked myself what can give? Where do i have room to eliminate something?  I asked myself if I feel called to blog, why i blog?  I suppose thats what got me writing this post.  I know why I blog, I know its purposeful, your emails touch my heart so deeply and i have met some incredible women from this online community that i wouldn't trade for the world. Your friendships mean so much to me. I know how healing it is for me to practice hummility and be transparent here.  So questions like the ones i asked myself above are a great reminder for me to focus on listening to what Jesus puts on my heart to share here. This isn't mine, this is His. I want to remember that each time I share something with you.

I just wanted you to know my heart i suppose. And that im grateful for you.

*If you read along I would love for you guys to follow by adding  your email on the right hand side of my blog. its easy! Helps get to know you all. (wont work on a cell phone).