Happy Birthday Myles!

Mr. Mylo turned THREE last week! Where did the time go? It was the first holiday that he has asked me if I'm getting him a present so it was also the first time I actually bought and wrapped him one! In the past he has gotten ample presents from family and friends so I never bothered with it. We bought him some Magna-Tiles and a remote control car (Patrick's idea and a huge hit). I also made him cupcakes from scratch (this delicious recipe) and regretted it immediately, who do I think I am? SOOO time consuming.

Here is a little snapshot of our three year old:

• He is a curious, sweet, sensitive, inquisitive, caring, energetic, gentle giant. He weighs 40 lbs and is very tall for his age, entering into 5T clothes already. 
• He loves his baby sister, cousins, Rafa, and being with our family. Our little extrovert often asks me first thing when he wakes up in the morning "who is coming over to our house today?" 
• He loves to read books of all kinds but especially about animals. Bunnies and ducks are two of his favorites. 
• He likes to eat shrimp, hot dogs, berries/fruit of all kinds (nectarines are a current fav), grilled cheese, and of course ice cream. He also still drinks a ton of milk.
• His favorite TV shows are Blaze and the Monster Machines, Super Why, and anything to do with trucks and construction. He is also majorly into Space Jam right now which cracks me up. 
• Although he doesn't even watch the TV show, he is totally obsessed with Ninja Turtles. I swear he almost cried for joy when he got a Michelangelo T-Shirt for his birthday. 
• He has a huge vocabulary and is CONSTANTLY asking why why why? We are very excited for him to start preschool in the fall and quench his thirst for knowledge :P
• He loves playing soccer with his dad in the field across the street from our house and throwing rocks in to the water at Lake Washington. 
• He's a great little sleeper still and would nap for 3-4 hours a day if we didn't wake him up so he'll sleep at night. 
• Patrick has taught him to ask people questions about themselves so everyday he'll ask people "How was your sleep mommy?" "How is your day Mimi?" "How was your work Daddy?" -- It's pretty much my favorite thing. 
• He does not enjoy brushing his teeth, having his finger nails cut, bugs of any kind, ketchup, or potty training. 

Happy Birthday Butter! I love you!

Myles' First Birthday

We had a little party for Mylo on his first birthday in the park next to our house. It was probably the coldest day this summer so it wasn't quite the "summer birthday" I had imagined but we had fun none the less. All his little buddies and cousins came out to celebrate with him and he LOVED his first piece of cake. I had to start eating some of it with him because he would have finished every last bit in front of him. He was very careful not to spill any because he wanted it all in his mouth! Happy birthday to my baby, can't believe he's so grown up. 

PS. Please excuse the sheer volume of pictures -- I couldn't choose which to post! Thanks to Zoe Rain for the great images of his day. 

Kenedee arrives! She's such a grown up girl now!

CLICK THROUGH FOR MORE IMAGES BELOW.

Thoughts on 30...

Yesterday was Jason's 30th birthday. Mine was right before Christmas but somehow now that Jason is 30 as well, it feels even more real. For the last year, I've really been struggling with the idea of being 30. Part of me understands that it's just a number, but there is still something with 30 that I can't seem to get past. 

Now that it's happened, I've realized the only issue with being 30 is the one I've created. It seems I've set my own stereotype for what being 30 means. 

Somehow I've convinced myself that 30 year olds are supposed to have things together and not constantly have dirty laundry on their bedroom floor and eat cookies for breakfast. They are supposed to grocery shop regularly and remember to renew their license tabs. These things were forgivable for 20-somethings. Don't get me wrong, 30 year olds are still allowed to have fun of course, and stay out late and make rash decisions and spurge on silly things, but they are expected to be responsible too. I've turned being 30 into some sort of new and probably impossible standard to measure myself against. Yes, I probably should eat more balanced breakfasts and fold my clothes, but I shouldn't let my mind wander to  this place of guilt, that I'm not doing a good enough job at being a grown up when I don't.

Anyone else battling being 30 out there? 

According to this quiz, I'm 19 and since the quiz was from BuzzFeed, I'm sure is extremely accurate and scientifically proven ;). Although, I'm pretty sure part of me will be 19 forever. 

Photos above from Jason's birthday last night at Rock Box taken with the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic, his present from me!

Happy Birthday Jenny!!

Today is a big day!! Happy 30th to one of my favorite human beings on this earth! I'm so glad that Rich and Sylvia had you 30 years ago, I can't imagine life without you by my side. Your creativity, wisdom, loyalty, spontaneity and giving spirit is a gift to everyone you come in contact with. I remember when we turned 20 oh so long ago, and the past 10 years have been filled with so many fabulous experiences together around the world. I can't wait to see what the next decade has in store. I LOVE YOU!!

Birthday Bash in a Flash: Tips for a Last Minute Dinner Party

Jenny and I are thrilled to welcome our friends and aspiring party planners, Danielle and Alicia who will be writing a series of guest posts about hosting the perfect gathering this spring! The four of us lived together in college and after attending some gorgeous events hosted by these two ladies over the years we asked them if they would be willing to share some tips and DIY projects on the blog. We are excited for what they have in store, hope you enjoy!

If you’re like us, every birthday, half-birthday and holiday in between is a fitting cause to go all out and celebrate life (or at least that’s what we ever-so convincingly keep telling our husbands).  But every now and again, an event sneaks up on us between the toddler, cat, job, food and laundry. For example, we found out a good friend was coming to town for her birthday and we wanted  to do-it up right for her. The problem? It was already Wednesday and nothing was planned. We decided to dress up a local restaurant for a stress-free, eye-catching birthday bash. Here are a few tips for an easy, last minute dinner party:

Go With What You Know

When you don’t have the time or space to host at your place and have a moderate sized guest list, hosting a birthday dinner at a restaurant is an easy and festive alternative…especially when you dress it up. For this particular event we picked a restaurant that we knew and loved. Phinney Market Pub and Eatery has a beautiful, long table right in the middle of the restaurant. It’s ambiance and décor work well with our style and we knew the menu would be perfect for our guest demographic. Sticking with what you know can save you precious time otherwise spent researching the décor, cost and layout of a new space. 

Create Tabletop Drama

The table is your focal point in a restaurant, but it’s important to keep it simple. You want to excite the guests when they arrive but not compete with the food. We've found the best place to start is with a few small floral arrangements. We swear by Bellevue’s Flowers for the People for a fresh take on evening floral arrangements.  Given our birthday girl’s obsession with Glassybaby’s, we used them to add a personal touch and a punch of blue-green color.

Even in a restaurant, we think place cards are a must. They quickly add décor to a table and people love seeing their own names (Instagram favorite for the night).  A fancy pen with some glitter goes a long way. For a final blast of color, we dressed up the table by using a large hole puncher to create some metallic (gold & copper) confetti accenting our coordinating colors; peaches, teals, and eggplant.

Our new obsession: 36-inch balloons. They need little else to make a statement, but adding  tassel flair never hurts.

Leave On A Sweet Note

For last minute occasions, mini cupcakes from Cupcake Royale are a fast and inexpensive way to leave your birthday guests with a sweet treat to remember the evening. Pick out cupcakes that have frosting that coordinates with your color scheme, and then place them at each place setting. If you’re Betty Crocker and have the time, making your own works too!  We feel when hosting at a venue where guests pay their own bill it’s nice to offer something-- drinks and/or desserts are a great way to show appreciation for their presence.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Today we celebrate Jenny -- Here’s to the best best-friend a girl could ask for!

I’d like to share two things I love about Jenny to celebrate her birthday.
1. When Jenny say’s she’s “there for you” she means it literally. As in she’s at your house helping to arrange furniture, flying across the country to visit, driving you to the airport, on the phone listening to you complain about the same thing for the thousandth time, and cooking your Thanksgiving food for you. In other words, she’s the best. 

2. I think I owe her about $10,000. For the past 10 years we have done a TERRIBLE job of keeping track of how much money we owe each other. We shared all our food for four years in college, rarely split the bill when going out (I don’t have cash, I’ll get it next time), have traveled around the world and throw parties/showers together at least once a quarter. I’m fairly convinced that over the years Jenny’s generosity has tilted the scales my favor and I owe her a lot of money. At the very least I owe her for the hundreds of meals she’s cooked for me (despite what you might have been lead to believe based on this blog, I don’t really enjoy cooking).


Her birthday falls very close to Christmas but we still usually manage to celebrate in style. Last year we went ice skating and this year we’re going to see this exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. 

Happy Birthday my friend!

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

Today is Patrick's birthday!

We had a great weekend celebrating with family and friends in Tacoma and Seattle. On Saturday we went with our niece Kenedee, and her parents, Ryan and Kasi, to "Zoo Lights" in Tacoma before his birthday dinner. I had never been before, it's quite the hot spot for holiday festivity! It was awesome to see Kenedee wide-eyed at all the beautiful light displays. After Zoo Lights Kenedee changed out of her warm bear suit into her Christmas outfit for Patrick's party -- I know I'm biased, but isn't she the cutest!?

This year has been such a wonderful one for Patrick what with becoming an uncle and establishing himself in a new career, we have so much to be thankful for.

Here's to the year ahead and all the adventures it will hold. Happy Birthday love! xo.

Happy Birthday Laura Lu!

Happy Birthday to my talented, beautiful, hilarious little sister! I'm one lucky girl to have you as my sis and friend. Hope you have a fabulous day celebrating at the Florence and the Machine concert!

PS. Check out some of Laura's great beauty tips here. 

Happy Birthday T!

Great Things (You Might Not Know) About Teresa

She is very smart about all sorts of things. The bits of knowledge that has been passed onto me always comes in handy when I need to sound intelligent in a conversation.

She is a great friend. Always there, even if she's on the other side of the world.

She seems to get better every year.

Even when she's deathly ill, she'll get out of bed at 5 am and cook bacon to feed 500. She's very responsible like that.

She has a "work voice".  It's very professional sounding.

You can tell her anything, she will listen and she won't tell your secrets.

She once kept many paper cranes in her car and let her nanny children hold them, but only if they were quiet.

AND...

She will usually go along with my strange ideas, as you'll see to the right. Somehow we decided the landscape at on the top of Table Mountain looked particularly like Lord of the Rings, so I told Teresa to go pose like Legolas.

Happy Birthday Teresa! I'm so glad you're my friend!

With Love,

Jenny

Photo: Teresa, being amazing in Capetown, 2005.

Happy Birthday Jason!

Today is my wonderful husband's birthday, but unfortunately, he's off on a shoot in LA and doesn't really get to celebrate. Don't worry, I'm planning plenty of belated birthday excitement. Here are a few of the present ideas I've tossed around for the all-things-photography-loving man in my life who is currently obsessed with Instagram.

The iPhone 4 SLR Mount from Photojojo

The iPhone Lens Dial from Photojojo

Canvas Pop lets you print your instagram photos on Canvas.