10 months and 5 days old

Friday, December 19, 2014








He was way more into crawling than taking pictures today... Also, his little scab on his nose is from falling off the bed the other night. It was very scary and still very sad to think about :(

Mars is 10 months and 5 days old.

It's amazing how much Mars grew physically from 0-6 months. He looks completely different and got so big so fast. After 6 months, he kind of slowed down, but mentally, he is still going. For the past couple of weeks, we've been playing this game where I say, "Shakey, shakey!", and he'll shake his head left and right. It's so cute! But sometimes he did it, and sometimes not. However this week, it's different because I'll say it, and he'll sorta smile and then do it every time. Like he knows and understands now and it's incredible!

I've been exposing him to a lot of baby sign language but kind of gave up because I didn't think he was picking it up, but today, on our way home from getting his booster shot, I strapped him into the carseat and said, "Ok! We're all done!", and he just shook his hands in the air for the "all done" sign. His facial expression looked like he was asking me if that's what I meant. It's so crazy! He's not a little baby anymore! He is learning and growing everyday and soon he'll be one! 

After scheduling his 12 month appointment with the receptionist today, she said that by then, he'll be running into the office. Can we just slow down for a moment here? How is time going by so fast!?

Simple and Easy Mochas

Tuesday, December 16, 2014


We had some friends visiting and staying over this past weekend, and rather than all going out for coffee, or sending one person out on a chilly morning, we made our own at home! I adapted a recipe I found online and used ingredients that we already had around the house. Super simple, easy, and yummy on a cold morning!

Simple and Easy Mochas (makes 4 cups)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 1/2 cups of milk (we used almond milk)
4 shots of espresso OR 4 individual packs of instant coffee
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and about 1 cup of milk in a pot over medium heat.
2. After the ingredients are dissolved and blended, slowly whisk in the rest of the milk.
3. Whisk occasionally until it starts steaming and is at your desired temperature.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract
5a. (If using espresso shots) Prepare 4 cups by putting a shot of espresso in each, then pour the hot chocolate mix into the cups.
5b. (If using instant coffee) Prepare 4 cups by putting a pack of instant coffee in each, then pour the hot chocolate mix into the cups, and stir to dissolve.
6. Enjoy!



9 months and 4 weeks old

Friday, December 12, 2014





Mars is 9 months and 4 weeks old.

In just two days, Mars will be 10 months old! These pictures were taken last week in Costa Rica where we pretty much spent all our time in our hotel room because it was so hot and humid! During our trip, Mars reached so many milestones.
He...
...started mimicking drinking from a cup
...points at things
...makes a new funny smile when people interact with him or when he's happy
...popped out his second tooth!

After we got back from Costa Rica I also noticed that he is starting to express his feelings more. For example, when his dad leaves the room or when we take something away from him, he whines a bit and makes crying sounds without really crying. Also! He can turn the water on in the bathtub and play with it, which can be super dangerous!

This weekend, we have some friends driving up from Los Angeles and staying with us, so it'll be a lot of fun for Mars. He had so much fun interacting with all the new people in Costa Rica, I think he really likes being social and having people around!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Travel: Wedding in Costa Rica

Thursday, December 11, 2014

One of the reasons why I've been so MIA on this blog is because last week, we took a trip to Costa Rica to be a part of our good friends' wedding. J was one of the groomsmen and Mars was the ring bearer. I wish I took pictures during the ceremony because it was a beautiful sunset beach wedding, complete with a double rainbow, but with baby in one arm and an extra long dress, it just wasn't possible. Hopefully we'll be able to grab some pictures from other people. So far this phone picture is the only one I have of us during the day with Mars in his full outfit plus his little ring bearer pillow:


During the reception, and actually the whole trip, Mars was a social butterfly. Strangers would come and pick him up and play with him and he was completely fine and laughing the entire time. 





It was a really beautiful wedding, and overall, a fun trip. Next week, I'll post more pictures of Mars' first swim in a pool, and on the beach. Congrats to the happy couple!

Vintage Bottle Brush Trees

Wednesday, December 10, 2014


This holiday season, I've been obsessing over vintage Christmases. I grew up in the 90's but the city I grew up in still had a lot of houses, buildings, and signs from the 50's and 60's so everything midcentury feels very nostalgic to me and reminds me of home. Pair that with Christmas and I think we have the perfect combination.

After obsessively searching and pinning "midcentury modern Christmas" images, I kept coming across the beautiful pastels and silvers in vintage Shiny Brite ornaments. This set the stage for my color scheme this year, and so I decided to make my bottle brush trees match.


I started out with a bag of trees from Michael's, plus some leftover from last year. Dipped some in a 3 parts bleach, 1 part water solution. Rinsed them throughly in soapy warm water, and then waited for them to dry.



To make the light green trees, I just took them out of the bleach a bit sooner, and to really rinse out the bleach or it will continue to lighten the green as it dries. And for the pink ones, I just dipped them in a water and red food coloring bath.


Super easy, cute, and gives me that warm fuzzy nostalgic feeling. Also, please excuse the bad lighting, as I made these at night in the garage while baby slept!
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