Backwards in Heels

Livin' la vida Florida.

2015-02-16T13:44:00.004-05:00

Those of you who follow me on Instagram probably already know that Alexandra and I have been visiting my parents on the gulf coast of Florida area for the last ten days. What started out as a week-long trip was extended to ten days after a surprise ear infection made it impossible for us to fly home (poor baby!), and now, to two whole weeks after our new flight was cancelled flight of the snowstorm pummeling the DC area. Poor James has been sending us nightly texts with pictures of our empty refrigerator, all the now-decimated meals that I prepared before we left, and the one remaining (very sad-looking) bottle of beer that he is rationing. Basically, this extended vacay has been really rough on all of us.

She would, of course, fall in love with this hot pink starfish.

Though I have to say, sitting here watching the Weather Channel as we get ready to hit the beach, I'm a teensy bit jealous of everyone at home. I'm not a huge fan of winter, but oddly, I love a good snowfall. There's nothing as comfortable, cozy and charming as sitting by the fire with a good movie and a warm mug of hot chocolate, snuggled under a blanket with a loved one while watching those beautiful flakes fall.

(There. Did I make everyone feel a little better about their weather situation? No? Okay, well, I tried.)

I don't have a lot of pictures of this trip to share just yet, mainly because I was forced to leave my computer and camera cord behind. Because, anyone who has ever travelled with kids has probably had that same experience where, after finally finishing packing for their child(ren), they look down at the suitcase, and then realize that they have left themselves approximately 5.1 square inches to pack all of their (much larger) vacation stuff. So, don't judge. That person was me the other day, and let me tell you, that suitcase was so stuffed, I couldn't even fit my iPhone charger. Priorities.

But, I do have a few iPhone pictures to happily share with everyone from a little kite-flying session we had a Ft. Myers beach the other day. Because, there's nothing like watching a brightly-colored little kite dancing around the sky, to bring out the kid in everyone again. . .

That's all for now, though I'll be sure to update in a few days when we get back home. Stay warm and safe friends! (Oh, and feel free to send me braggy pics of your beautiful, white, snow-laden yards. It only seems fair, I guess.)

Last minute valentine making party

2015-02-12T12:50:00.004-05:00

(. . . saved by a cookie cutter.)

Last Friday, as I was attempting to wash roughly 94 loads of laundry (side note: how does this even happen? how is it possible for a tiny, 26 pound human to produce SO. MUCH. LAUNDRY?), clean the house, and hurriedly pack our bags for a vacation, friends and I decided to get the kiddos together last minute to throw a valentine making party. An hour beforehand, as I was thumbing through my craft supplies, and scanning the pitiful amount of food still left in my pantry, I realized that I had exactly five things to make this party happen:

1. Paper;

2. Crayons;

3. Watercolor paint;

4. One heart-shaped cookie cutter;

5. Exactly seven (tiny) boxes of conversation hearts.

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!

Pretty ghetto, right? Ever throw a last-minute party in college and failed to have your over-21 friend show up with all the beer? Well, I'm definitely not saying I ever did that, but if I had, this was pretty much the mom version of that party all over again. Cue the flashbacks.

That is, until I realized the power of that one heart cookie cutter. I had no idea how many possibilities arise with the ability to cut ordinary things into perfect little heart shapes. And just like that, the party was back on!

So, with the countdown on, I went to town cutting everything in my field of vision into heart-shaped versions of their former self. Ordinary cold sandwiches for the kiddos became adorable little heart-shaped canapés. Leftover apples were thinly sliced and with the help of that cutter, made into valentine-themed apple bites. Leftover cheddar became cute little heart-cheddar bites for a valentine's day charcuterie plate. And a single bag of microwave popcorn was transformed into festive valentine's day confetti popcorn, courtesy of white chocolate chips (melted in the microwave), pink sprinkles from Alexandra's birthday party, and those leftover conversation hearts.

(The crafting area looked this cute for approximately 3.2 seconds.)

The valentines themselves? We used white crayons (and eventually, masking fluid, when we ran out of white crayons - same effect!) to write the children's names on white paper. We then broke out the watercolor paints, and let the kiddos paint over the white crayon writing. They loved it! Once the paint was dry, we used the cookie cutter to trace and cut out heart shapes from the little watercolor masterpieces (used, of course, in the loosest translation of that word), gluing the hearts to card stock. Totally adorbs.

(Cookie cutter, I so owe you.)

So easy, even a toddler dressed in a princess costume can do it.

Now, do I think this little crafting shindig is going to land us on the cover of Martha Stewart anytime soon? Hahaha, certainly not. But, if you are planning (or not planning -- since I clearly wasn't planning this either), a last minute valentine making party for your kiddos, just be sure to have a heart-shaped cookie cutter and conversation hearts in your pantry . . . and you've got yourself a party.

Happy last minute Valentine's Day planning, friends!

Wild, wild west (part dos).

2015-02-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

So, I left off my last post with pictures of our trip to Scottsdale and the Grand Canyon back in October. As promised, I'm back today to show you just a few more! A few days after visiting the Grand Canyon, we decided to visit Sedona, in order to cross another bucket list destination off our list. If I was being completely honest, we were already so fatigued from the Grand Canyon trip (and correspondingly exhausting car ride) at this point of the trip that we almost decided to forgo the drive down to Sedona that we had planned for a few days later. Thank goodness we sucked it up though, because the whole town was absolutely stunning. I would probably rate Sedona as one of the most beautiful natural settings I've ever been in. Basically, if you're thinking of making a trip to Sedona, DO IT

(And feel free to liberally reference these pictures while trying to convince your skeptical spouse/significant other/fellow travelers).

I also managed to con my husband into visiting a real, live ghost town called "Goldfield" (original, I know) on our last day. Because, let's face it, when the heck else would I have the opportunity to see an abandoned goldmining town while back home on the east coast? I mean, when in Rome, right? James wasn't so much of a fan - the abandoned rusty tractors that my kid was drawn to like a moth to a flame probably didn't help - but it was still a lot of fun. Would I make an encore trip to Goldfield if given the chance? PASS. But, did it keep us fairly entertained for the 2 or so hours we spent there? Of course.

Here are just a few of my favorite memories from the second half of our Arizona trip. And since I consider y'all my BVFs ("best virtual friends," duh), I've included a few friendly Arizona travel pointers - practical pieces of information that I somehow failed to glean from my tireless tripadvisor research, online guides, and the guidebook that I read cover to cover during the plane trip. (Seriously, why did no one tell us this stuff?!).

Views from the car ride to Sedona. Because every white-knuckled east coast driver feels so much safer knowing that there are runaway truck ramps to protect them when making hairpin turns on a mountainous highway at 7200 foot elevations. (Insert non-existent sarcastic emoji here.)

Cactus meat tacos and cactus margaritas at a fabulous Mexican joint on Main Street Sedona = every (vegetarian) foodie's dream.

Alexandra told us she wanted to climb one of the "mountains." We looked at each other skeptically, expecting a meltdown when we broke the bad news to her, until we witnessed her run away and climb atop a three-foot-tall red rock. I mean, that's basically a mountain when you're two, I guess.

The whole town was incredibly artsy - with sculptures like these lining streets and sidewalks.

. . . and giant public xylophones which entertained my kid endlessly.

On the trolley tour that we took to some of the rock formations.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross - inside, and from the base of the butte. It's considered one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of the World, and after seeing it in person - rising out of the red cliffs, I totally get why.

Making our way up to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. I love how the fluid circuitous path juxtaposes with the jagged, harsh rock formations.

It's true what they say - the rocks really did seem to glow at sunset. Most of these pictures are straight out of camera.

The sunsets? Really horrible. Nothing to write home about at all . . .

I have no clue what was up with this rogue cowboy dude but couldn't NOT take a picture. Right?

The pic on the left? The views on the drive to the ghost town. I'm pretty sure I saw at least one, if not more, tumbleweeds roll by.

^These pictures were actually taken from the second story window of a nineteenth century brothel in the town. Scandalous!

(This is what the main street of a ghost town looks like.)

Taking a trip to Arizona? (You should!) Here are a few of my recommendations:

1. We LOVED Arizona. We did. But, don't be fooled by the "dry heat is soo much better" propaganda that almost all Arizonans try to sell you. I hate to say it, but it's all a lie. Sorry, but 107 degrees - whether in dry heat or not - is really, really, unbearably, freaking, kill-me-now hot. But it doesn't have to ruin all your vacation plans. Plan accordingly by waking up early to check out outdoorsy activities. We all know this shouldn't be a problem if you have kids. Plan on hitting up your hotel's pool in the middle of the day, when the weather is at it's most unbearable. Then, grab an early(ish) dinner, and head out again in the early evening.

2. On that note, it's really important to stay at a hotel that caters to everyone in your family. We've taken plenty of trips where we spent almost no time in our hotel, barely spending enough time inside the room to sleep or take a shower. This trip was not one of them. Thankfully, the hotel we chose worked out amazingly for us - it had a kid's pool, a waterslide, a splash park, a kid's club, a great playground, family-friendly "dive-in" movie showings, live jazz music in the evening, a small art museum, an ice cream parlor, an incredibly shady 200 acre cactus garden, awesome animal-related activities, great views from our (standard, definitely-not-upgraded hotel room) and quite a few other family-friendly amenities that we chose to take advantage of.

3. Plan to spend at least one or more incredibly long days hiking the Grand Canyon. We didn't realize how much we would enjoy the Grand Canyon (pro!) and somehow managed to spend 11 hours hiking around, enjoying the beautiful views from main trails. Unfortunately, however, the Grand Canyon is so remote (con!), that we ended up driving the entire 4 hours back to our Scottsdale hotel. This, all after a 4 hour drive down to the Canyon in the first place, and 11 hours of somewhat-strenuous activity. Yes, you do the math. Then, multiply that math by a thousand hours to account for the baking sun and an overtired toddler screaming half the way home. Not a fun car ride back.

4. If you have a kid, DO plan on seeing the McCormick-Stallman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. While Alexandra really seemed to enjoy the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Old Town Scottsdale, the ghost town, and all the other places we checked out while in Arizona, the only thing she still talks about is that train museum. As in, four months later and she still chatters away about visiting the "train in Awizon-ah,", but would stare at me blankly if I asked her about the Grand Canyon, I'm sure. So, while a train museum may sound hokey, believe me, the look of pure joy on your child's face as she rides on miniature locomotive trains over and over again will make the $12 (or whatever, it was really cheap) so totally worth it.

5. Plan to save your best photo ops for sunrise or sunset. Unfortunately, the unyielding midday Arizona sun not only makes for one incredibly hot, sweaty, and tiring day, but also for some pretty hard-to-expose photography. When I was finally able to properly expose a midday photo, I noticed that the sun seemed to flatten out the highlights and shadows in each photo like some reverse-HDR effect. Womp womp. Yet, all the shots taken within an hour or so of a sunrise or sunset made me look like I have the photography skills of Ansel Adams. Honestly, some of the pictures were so incredible, that I actually had trouble narrowing it down to the eight zillion sunrise/sunset pictures I posted here. (And yes, I realize what you're thinking. I swear there were actually A LOT more pictures that I could have bombarded you with.)

Hope you enjoyed this! Happy Monday (yeah, right, who am I kidding, right?) everyone!

Wild, wild west, y'all.

2015-02-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

Back in October, James had 2 free weeks off from work while switching jobs. Two whole weeks! This would finally give us our chance for the big, elusive family vacation that we had been planning for so long, but never took. Italy, Greece, a trip to the Holy Land, and the Taj Mahal were thrown around (not by all, but certainly by one of us . . . ) and then researched meticulously. And for a whole 4 hours of my life (from 12 am to 4 am, to be precise), tripadvisor was that enabling best friend in high school - the irresponsible one who convinces you that you are capable of pulling all sorts of crazy stunts despite your best judgment, and that your brassy Sun-In highlights totally go with your olive complexion. And Kayak.com? She was my bosom buddy.

That is, of course, until we realized that planning that type of vacation in the two weeks notice that James gave his firm was kind of impossible. Oh, and also? Then we remembered the indisputable fact that sitting on multiple, non-direct flights with a hyper, non-napping two-year-old running up and down aisles, melting down every time the seatbelt light comes back on, ~~clawing~~ climbing my head in order to fidget every two seconds with the overhead fan, who is reduced to tears every time the "peanuts . . . no pwetzel! PEANUTS! YES, peanuts. No, no, no . . . PWETZELS!!! MOMMY, NO, PEANUTSSSS!!!" conundrum arises . . . was basically the parental version of water boarding.*

So, change of plans. It looked like our big overseas trip would have to wait. Then, it came to us - Arizona. Neither James nor I had ever been, there were plenty of gorgeous, kid-friendly resorts to stay at, there was an endless array of outdoorsy attractions (you can only drag your kid to so many museums), and Sedona and the Grand Canyon had long been on our bucket list of travel destinations. Done and done.

And, the state was gorgeous. And awesome. And totally lived up to its potential in our minds. Here are a few of my favorite moments from Scottsdale and the Grand Canyon for everyone. I'll be back next week with a few more pictures, (because what good is a digital camera if you're not going to take at least 10 gigs worth of ~~seemingly identical~~ pictures, am I right?), as well as a few recommendations on what we loved when we were there.

The view from our hotel room (and poolside cabana). The place was a real dump, I know.

At some outdoor train museum that sounds really boring, but that my kid LOVED.

when in the Southwest . . .

Feeding the hotel's koi. It was all fun and games until Alexandra got so excited/confused, she threw in James' Ray Bans for the fish one morning. For what purpose, you ask? I honestly couldn't say. #ripraybans

Obligatory visitor center shot.

^A portion of that funny-looking tree is now sitting on a lucite block on my mantel. True story.

Obligatory, horrible selfie. Really, I am the worst at taking selfies. It's laughable.

Happy Friday!

* On that note, I firmly believe there is a special place in heaven for parents who are forced to fly with a toddler on a flight longer than 5 hours. Conversely, there is a similar place in hell for those who willingly inflict that same toddler on fellow passengers.

DIY Anthro-Inspired Chalkboard Globe

2015-02-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

So, here's the scoop.

When a few of you guys asked me to get back to blogging, and I resisted ("who me?! why, no one wants to read what I have to say on my little ole blog!"), it was honestly because: a) like everyone else, I don't have a ton of free time on my hands (hello, crazy toddler baby who doesn't nap and has boundless amounts of energy and the seeming burning desire to kill herself Evel Knievel-style ); and b) I have no idea what to write about anymore. Until, that is, my sister insisted that I do tutorials for half of the things that I've made around my house. YES.

(Perhaps this blog should be re-titled "Crap I Made?")

I know I haven't shown you guys my new house yet (pictures coming soon for all of you who are asking - even those of you who have already been here, yet oddly still want pictures anyway - I swear!). But, there are always a few pieces/accessories/whatever around my house that people instantly love when they spot it. Disappointingly, those things tend to not be the (approximately, like, four) expensive things that I have around my house and really want to brag to you about, but rather, things that I made myself. This anthropologie-inspired chalkboard globe is one of them. Truth is, I initially made this globe for my sister as part of her birthday gift. But then, I got all jealous of my own gift-giving skills, and made a second one for myself.

(Please, we all know I'm not the only one who does this. Oh, and odds are, if you are female, I've bought doubles of three-quarters of the things I've gifted you anyway. Why do you think I get so excited for YOUR birthday? Duh.)

Want to learn how to make an anthro-inspired chalkboard and gold leaf globe for yourself? It's easy peasy. Really.

Supply List:
Globe
Chalkboard Paint
Gold Leaf
Metal Leaf Adhesive
Sharpie paint markers
Paintbrush

Steps:

1. Get yourself a globe to paint. Preferably a cheap, inaccurate or old one that you won't mind defacing. Believe me, it'll make it a whole lot easier laying down that first brush stroke if your globe still has a USSR on it.

2. Using a sharpie paint marker, outline the continents.

3. Now, using your chalkboard paint of choice (I used Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint in "Bird's Egg" blue), start painting the water masses around the outlined continents. It doesn't have to be perfect here - you will most likely touch up the paint at the end. Then, wait for the chalkboard paint to dry.

4. Now break out the gold leaf adhesive, and begin painting it on the continents. Do one continent at a time (i.e., learn from my mistakes), because this stuff tends to be drippy, and if you move onto another continent before the adhesive is set, you WILL end up with a drippy, messy, sticky streak across one of your bordering oceans/seas/another continent etc. (Sigh.)

5. Once the gold leaf adhesive has become tacky (around ten minutes), firmly apply the gold leaf sheet to the continent that you just painted. Lift the excess gold leaf, and move on to the next continent.

6. Now, break out your sharpie paint markers once again, and starting labeling the continents/oceans/countries/whatever floats your boat. (Tip: If you don't trust your handwriting, sketch it out first with a piece of chalk. It is a chalkboard globe, after all!)

7. Sit back, relax and enjoy the endless compliments you will receive on your new chalkboard globe. Feel free to brag to your good friends that you made it yourself, whilst telling your frenemies that it's one of those sold-out anthropologie globes that everyone is lusting over. (And bonus! Your frenemies will also think you're super rich - those things are expensive!)

Let me know how your chalkboard globes all come out! Happy Wednesday!

The one where I almost forgot how to blog. . .

2015-02-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

(or, life goes on . . . on instagram lately.)

Hello loves! Remember when I used to blog?

No?!

Yeah, me neither.

The truth is, life (and my real baby) got in the way of updating my blog baby these last few months. But, it seems that I've been promising a lot of you an updated blog lately. Oddly, not even all of you are my mom. (Hey, Aunt Clare!) And by updated, I really just mean a post riddled with lots of excuses and plenty of pretty pics. Like this one. So, here goes.

How pained does my kid look here? Sitting still does not equal one of her strong points.

See, back in mid-June (when I last blogged . . . see where I'm going with this one?), our dream house randomly went on the market one day. Truth is, I had driven by *cough real estalked cough* this dream house multiple times before, seen it, loved it, planned multiple pinterest boards around it, imagined Christmas cards in front of it, decorated and redecorated it in my mind . . . et cetera, et cetera. And then one day, seemingly out of nowhere, that house went up for sale. And just like that, we put in an offer on the dream house, had the offer accepted, realized we didn't want (read: couldn't pay the mortgage on) two houses, fixed up, staged and put our last house on the market 5 days later, sold that house 4 days after that . . . and well, the rest of my summer/fall/early winter is totally, undeniably unaccounted for.

I'm totally out of excuses. Damnit.

Ignore my excuses. We all know they're total BS anyway. Instead, focus on pictures of my cute kid.

But since then, we've been working on making this dream house our own, have hosted a birthday party (3 weeks after moving in . . . looooongest, most angry 3 weeks ever), a baby shower, and the most epically large, "hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap danced with Danny-effing-Kaye." (Bonus points for the first person to call that one. You just get me.)

Enough excuses for everyone yet?

And now, to make up for all of this unnecessary verbiage, I've included a few gratuitous family pictures - taken in front of that new dream house - for you guys. Because, let's be honest, everything is better with pictures. . . . And we all know you guys just scroll to the bottom of the page to check out the rest of the pictures anyway.

I'm not so sure she understood what we meant when we told her we were taking pictures that day.

Happy, (hopefully!) snowy Monday y'all!

Allie's new (Ikea hack) monogrammed play table.

2014-06-05T21:49:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, I got it into my head that Alexandra NEEDED her own little toy table for reading, drawing, and playing house. Unfortunately, however, I couldn't find a cute table set that I loved, wanted to look at everyday, or most importantly, would fit in my shoebox-sized house. Because, just to be clear, the Restoration Hardware toy furniture is amazingly darling, but it's basically the same size as my real-life adult furniture. And, if we're being totally honest, most of it costs about as much.

That's where Ikea steps in. Oh, Ikea, your children's toys are always so reasonably-priced and daintily-sized (Scandinavians sure know how to pack a lot of punch into tiny living spaces). So, Alexandra and I made the trip down to Ikea yesterday, and picked out the Kritter table and Sundvik chairs. And a few hours later, my kid was happily sitting at this little table, in all its monogrammed glory.

Alexandra LOVES her new table set. Seriously. She actually screamed when I ~~released her from her crib prison~~ brought her downstairs from (not) napping yesterday, and saw it. Screamed, folks. She then proceeded to play at the table, talking to herself and drawing, playing musical chairs, and reading books . . . for a whole 11 minutes. She's already sat and played with it for about 25 minutes (total) today. I call that a win. She even refused to eat lunch in her high chair, instead staging a sit-in at her new table, sippy cup in hand. Happily, I obliged.

A few of you have already texted, wanting your own monogrammed table for yourself and/or your kids. I don't blame you, I kind of want a bigger version for myself now. Want to make your own? Easy-peasy. (Really. Embarrassingly so.) Here's how I did it:

1. Pick up this table and these chairs (the only set Ikea sells that will fit a monogram on the chair back). I only picked up two chairs (more baby things in my house = more baby crap for me to trip over and curse about in the middle of the night), but the table could definitely fit four. Just remember you'll be hand making (and applying) monograms for all those chairs.

Totally at home in Ikea. Totally my kid.

2. Assemble the furniture pieces. This was probably the hardest part, considering Ikea's directions are apparently, written in mime. Unfortunately, I am not fluent in mime.

3. Once everything is assembled, tape off the bottoms of the legs with painter's tape. (I actually used washi tape because I am lazy and didn't feel like walking thirty feet out to the shed. Whatever, same thing.) Choose an accent color from paint you have around the house - I did two tones of gold - and paint stripes along the feet of the chairs. Don't forget to pull the tape off while the paint is still tacky!

4. The monogram for the chair was slightly more effort, but it doesn't have to be! I designed and cut this monogram from gold vinyl on my Silhouette Portrait. But, a simple gold initial within a circle has the same effect (and this was the method I used for years before I received my silhouette). Use this cutter to cut out two perfect concentric circles from this vinyl (be sure to keep the paper backing on the vinyl while cutting). Next, print out your child's initial on your home printer, and use it to trace the letter onto the gold vinyl. Cut out the letter from the vinyl with a pair of small scissors. (Manicure scissors work well here.)

5. Give your chair backs a quick cleaning with soap and water, and apply the vinyl monogram pieces to the chairs. I eyeballed the placement of the monogram, but feel free to do things the right way and break out a ruler.

6. Sit back, relax and play on Pinterest while your child gives you a whole 11 minutes of uninterrupted peace while playing with their new toy. (Because, let's be honest, we all know this is an eternity in mom time.)

She sells seashells . . .

2014-03-28T16:34:00.002-04:00

Or, more aptly titled, "Allie steals seashells from the seashore."

(But don't worry, Seashell Police, if you're reading this, we totally gave them all back. I promise. . . )

Someone also got into her mama's jewelry box. Again.

Finishing off where I left with our Florida trip, on our last day down in the Sunshine State, we decided to take a quick evening trip down to Sanibel Island for dinner, an impromptu shell scavenger hunt, and a view of the sunset. My Aunt Kathy made a surprise(!) trip down to see us all from Philadelphia (by way of Orlando), and because it had been so long, we were uber-excited to get in some good family time while we could. Let me just say that Sanibel is absolutely amazing. Stunning. The sand is always soft, white and pristine; the water is basically the most perfect shade of aquamarine you could ever imagine, times ten and to the power of infinity. Driftwood floats in from the Gulf, and you think to yourself, "gee, I'd (stupidly, probably) pay a lot of money for a branch like that if I saw it in a West Elm or CB2 catalog or something."* And in case my already over-the-top description of this beach isn't enough to blow your mind, you know those twisty-turny (totally a word) conch beauties and mother-of-pearl-type fan shells only found in overpriced museum gift shops? Well, for some reason, this beach is chock full of them, and they're yours for the taking.

So, armed with a little purple drugstore bucket in hand, we naturally sent Alexandra on the seashell hunt of her life. You know, to tire her out before sitting in a restaurant, watching the sunset, and peacefully drinking margaritas for the next three hours. (Author's note: Hahahahahaha, yeah right. I'm still laughing at the naiveté of this plan. Oh, young Cara, there is so much for you to learn still. Those of you who have toddlers/have ever babysat a toddler/ever even seen a toddler before can probably imagine how well this didn't work out for us.)

Either way, this kiddo had a blast. Gale-force winds aside, you'd think we had let her loose in Santa's workshop or something. Every now and then she'd find a shell she particularly approved of, and you'd hear her little squeaky voice scream out "wow, wow, WOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!"

We even tried to get a few group shots in. But naturally, of course, someone saw the ten seconds it takes to get a picture as a huge infringement on her prime seashell-hunting hours. As a sign of protest, she basically refused to crack a smile.

She may or may not (but definitely does) get this trait from her father.

So, that just about wraps up our Ft. Myers trip. Happy Friday folks! Does everyone have awesome weekend plans ahead of them? We're hoping to hit up the Cherry Blossom Kite Festival on the National Mall (pictures to come?!), and I'm secretly hoping to get some free time to reorganize Alexandra's ~~condemnable~~ messy closet.

* Don't believe me? Here's a picture of my sister and I (taken almost ten years ago) on one of those pieces of magical Sanibel driftwood. Totally like out of a catalog, right?

(Steph, I know you're going to kill me for making this picture available to the entire internet. All I can say is, oops . . . )

(Little) bookworm favorites

2014-03-26T15:05:00.000-04:00

Following up on Monday's post, a few friends asked for advice on our favorite toddler books. Clearly, Alexandra is a book worm. We read together in the morning when she wakes up (out of sheer laziness and not good parenting, mind you - I am NOT a morning person, and will do just about anything to add extra time snuggling under the covers), before her afternoon nap, and before bed every evening. (And that kid really knows how to milk to the pre-sleep reading sessions, let me tell you.) Add to that, of course, the hours of crazy-baby-babble reading Allie does after every nap. Let's just say we read A LOT of books.

Though there are so many awesome toddler books out there (really - I had to pare down this list considerably!), there are a few that really seem to hit the nail on the head with the perfect combination of punchy illustrations, lyrical narration, and admittedly, a low words-per-page ratio (keeping my toddler entertained to the full extent of her 30 second attention span . . . too many words per page and she's out of my lap, running circles around me). Here are our current favorites.

Goodnight Moon - This tried-and-true classic is a winner with my little kiddo. I recently flew with Alexandra by myself and found out the hard way that we cannot be without this book for more than a few hours without a total meltdown occurring. (Imagine my child in first class frantically screaming "MORE MORE MOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!!!!!!" Then imagine me throwing back shot after shot of those complimentary teeny-tiny bottles of Absolut while shoving Goldfish crackers in A's mouth. Oh, and if you were a passenger on that flight . . . my sincerest apologies.) I think it's a combination of the graphic, brightly-colored pictures and a storyline which uses basic, everyday words that make this book a winner with my little toddler.

Good night iPad - Unfortunately, most of us can only take so much Goodnight Moon. (Eight readings in one sitting is my record. Yours?) This is where Goodnight iPad comes in. This is a clever, updated version for the digital age which keeps Alexandra nearly as entertained as the original. Though I'm a little afraid to admit it, I'm pretty sure it's because she finds iPads, iPhones, Blackberries and Netflix about as captivating as the original version's "green rooms" and "red balloons." Whatever it is, I welcome the break from the original. And bonus! The background captions are absolutely hysterical for adults.

BabyLit it board books - Cheeky, sweetly-illustrated versions of some of my favorite classics from the likes of Austen, the Bronte sisters, and Shakespeare. Each book is a "primer" for different subjects, such as counting, colors, sounds and fashion. We have multiple titles from this series - Alexandra is a huge fan of the illustrations and simple subject matter. As an Austen-ite, I'm a huge fan of reading them to her.

Mini Masters books - A series of books based on different artists, such as Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Matisse. Alexandra loves to carefully examine the various works of art on each page. I love reading them to her because I feel like I'm learning something new each time. Win-win!

Madeline board book - There's a reason that this is a classic with the little ones, folks. Bemelman's illustrations are incredibly beautiful and artistic. And his near-lyrical narration is a hit with A. Just be sure to get the (abridged) board book. One-year-old Alexandra doesn't yet have the patience to sit through too many words per page, and the abridged version seems to get that important words-per-page ratio just right.

Scanimation books - For lack of a better explanation (or any at all), the illustrations in these books seem to move as you turn each page. Alexandra will sit on my lap, mesmerized, as we watch horses gallop, roosters strut, penguins waddle, and stars flicker in the sky. She actually loves these books so much that she can't be left alone with them (or they end up inexplicably ripped open and torn apart . . . I'm pretty sure she's as curious as I am to figure out how these things work).

Olivia books - My toddler finds this sweet sassy pig absolutely hysterical. I also think that the stark, mostly black-and-white illustrations, resonate with her as well.

Goodnight iPad, as interpreted by Alexandra.

2014-03-24T12:54:00.002-04:00

You guys, what does she think this book is about?!

Alright, confession time. One of my favorite parts of the day is nap time. This is, of course, for a wide assortment of really obvious reasons. {Hey! Don't judge unless you have a toddler at home!} But also, because Allie often narrates "storytime" with her stuffed animals after waking up from her naps. I'll hear her awake slowly, then babble on and on, turning the pages of the books that we picked out and put in her crib earlier. No lie, if I let her, she'd probably go on for an hour.

{EDITED TO ADD: Or try TWO hours. Just timed her. And it's only ending now because I really want to run errands, otherwise who knows how long story time would go on?!}

And it's freaking hilarious. The squeaky, high-pitched voice, the nonsense, rambling words, and the crazy sounds she makes to narrate often have me in stitches. And each book has a different tone and tenor, of course. The best is when you'll hear a string of absolute rubbish words, followed by a squeak, honk, an array of animal sounds, and then punctuated by something (relatively) normal like "APPLE!"

Unfortunately, these little storytime sessions always end abruptly as soon as I walk in the room. But yesterday, I finally caught A in all her storytelling glory on video. I dare you to watch this video and not laugh. I mean, really, what in the world does she think this book is about?!

Happy Monday!

Long time, no post. . .

2014-03-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

Hey there! Yes, still alive. After a lovely (albeit carb-laden!) lunch date with an old friend the other day, I was asked why I haven't blogged recently. And I didn't have a real answer, other than to explain that, even though we've been keeping ourselves super-busy round these parts, there really isn't anything so special going on in my life that I feel like someone else wants to read all about it.

To which she responded:

1. No one ever (never ever!) read this blog in order to live vicariously through my exhilarating, exciting, cosmopolitan life;

2. That this blog is sometimes* hilarious;

3. That she likes to keep up with us by reading this blog;

4. That she is bored at work and really needs a diversion (this consideration, she stressed, was by far most important); and

5. LAWYERED!**

Ouch, ouch, ouch and ouch.

I love you too, L. (Good thing you have pretty hair.)

So, from here on out, I promise to keep this little blog updated a little better. Especially now that I know that I am sometimes hilarious, and that the workday sanity of some of you depends almost entirely on it. (But don't say you don't owe me.)

So, here's a look at what's been going on in our lives lately. In the last few weeks, Alexandra and I took a (much-needed) trip down to Fort Myers, Florida to see my folks. (And were lucky enough to catch up with both sets of grandparents while at it!)

Where we spent some time sunbathing and making sandcastles.

And plenty of time wearing someone else's jewelry and sun hats. . .

Took many, many walks to the park.

And a trip to the zoo.

Baby gladiator sandals. I die.

(This picture cracks me up, only because they were being goofy and "pretending" to jump in the alligator cage. I dare you to look at my child's face, and not laugh.)

Have been blessed with roughly 80,000 inches (no, really) of snow.

Although Dolce loves it (weirdo!), we've been spending most of our days watching the snow come down from the inside.

Because she's a real fan. (Not.)

Took an awesome modern calligraphy class with my sister.

And grew our hair long enough for pigtails.

(But she then ripped them out moments after this picture was taken).

So that's some of what we've had going on around here (but surprise! I still have a ton of other pictures on my fancy-schmancy camera). Hope this satisfied your mid-workweek slump. How about you guys? Now that I've shared, y'all better update me (here, or on Facebook, or via text or email or whatever) on everything that's going on with you guys. I mean, it only seems fair. I like hearing about the everyday aspects of your lives too!

* Author's Note: Sometimes hilarious? Sometimes?!?!? Really? Is that really the answer you're sticking with here? Because two can play the little sometimes game, missy. I mean, I sometimes remember my credit card when meeting with dear old friends for expensive lunch dates . . . but then I sometimes accidentally forget it too. Oops. <3

** Do members of other professions not say this? Is this not normal? Someone please fill me in. Because, really, I can't tell what's normal anymore.

Dressing your little Romeo.

2014-01-29T23:12:00.001-05:00

Alright, mommas of little boys (and soon-to-be mommas of little boys . . . *ahem KEMG, I'm looking at you - yes, I have a sixth-sense for these things!*), no more complaining about how little girls are more fun to dress than little boys. I just don't want to hear it. Yes, mommas of little girls get to live vicariously through their children (no? am I the only one?), but mommas of little boys get to splurge on adorable finds like mini-baseball hats, mini-chucks and mini-bow ties. You know, basically the teeny-tiny versions of all the things you want to dress your husband in (but that he probably resists like the plague).

So, here's my round-up of the cutest Valentine's day clothes for all the little boy mommas out there. And because I've been known to buy adorable outfits for friend's kids, I may or may not be stocking up on a few of these pieces for friends. There's some seriously cute stuff out there . . .

Pajamas / Baseball Cap / Most Eligible Bachelor Tee / Red Flannel Shirt / Sweater Pullover

Handsome Baseball Tee / Red Hoodie / Mini Chucks / Ladies Love Me Tee

Dressing my little valentine.

2014-01-13T14:55:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, people used to compliment me on my awesome wardrobe and outfits, all the time.* "OMG, where did you get that lovely whozywhatsit?!" And, "however did you think to pair it with that thingamabob?" they'd ask.** And, of course, I'd enthusiastically, unabashedly fill them in. "Oh, this little number? Why, it's Kate Spade (outlet)! J.Crew (factory)! Oh, and Anthro (sales rack)!"

(Sometimes, depending on how much I liked the person, I'd leave out whatever was in the the parentheses there.)

But these days? These days I'm more likely to get a compliment on my child's ensemble than on my own. Sigh. But, to be honest, I'm (mostly) okay with this, at this point. Because a) my kid is pretty darn cute, thankyouverymuch; and b) dressing little kids is pretty darn awesome and amazing, and a whole lot easier on your credit card than dressing one's self.

So, on that note, you can bet I've already turned all of my attention to my child's Valentine's Day ensembles. Because, it's very important to look good at playgroup, of course. And you just never know who's going to be at tumbles class that day. Oh, and because I will celebrate anything. (Most of you already know this about me.) Here are a few of my picks for little girls this Valentine's Day.

1. Embellished Shirt / Heart Headband / Heart Skinnies / Ballet Flats

2. Love Tee / Tutu

3. Be Loved Tee / Gold Tutu

4. Polka Dot Cardi / Confetti Dress / Tights

5. Heart PJs

6. Heart Beret / Heart Shades / Bow Necklace Top / Red Tutu / Mary Janes

Am I missing anything? Please feel free to fill me in on your picks for the cutest of teeny-tiniest Valentine's Day outfits, if so. You know, I need more stuff to add to my online shopping carts during nap time.

Happy Monday!

*Okay okay, if we're being completely honest here, people didn't always do this. But, in my head, people did this alllll the time. But unfortunately, it's still not completely kosher to start off a blog post talking about all the conversations I had with people in my head. So, allow me some artistic license here? Okay?

**Also, please notice that my ~~fake~~ complimentary friends apparently have the vocabulary of the Little Mermaid. This is probably very telling.

New Year, New Goals.

2014-01-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

Happy 2014 y'all! I am so looking forward to this new year. As I said in last year's New Year's post, I think I'm one of the few who actually enjoys knowing that I have a whole new year - a clean slate, if you will - to make the changes necessary to grow, and to make my life (and hopefully the lives of loved ones) better, richer, and fuller. With this in mind, here are a few of my resolutions for the new year. Because, you know, I feel like, by putting this in writing - and on the internet, for anyone and everyone to see - I'm making it just a little bit harder for me to give up and go back to my old, lazy ways.

(Okay, okay, I'll probably do it anyway. Who am I kidding? But at least this makes it a little more embarrassing when I do, am I right?)

Cara's official New Year's Resolution List:

1. Be more outdoorsy. I went on my first hike in 2013 (well, calling it a "hike" would be really stretching the term . . . it was more of a walk along a rocky portion of the Potomac while wearing sporty clothes. But, hey, baby steps.) I loved it. So, this year I resolve to be a little more outdoorsy than last year. Which, of course, isn't saying much. But still!

I'm so outdoorsy, I know.

2. Include Dolce in the family more. This may sound like an odd resolution, but that pup is just so happy to be included in things, and unfortunately, I feel like she's been left out of a lot over the last year. I mean, seriously, do you have any idea how ~~suicidal~~ difficult it is to push an infant in a top-heavy stroller with this insane-o dog that was specifically bred to pull things attached to the front of it? But when we do include her in things, everything become more laid-back, and Alexandra loves every moment of it (she happens to think Dolce is hysterically funny . . . usually when that dog is at her worst, oddly). Time to bring Dolce back into the family, I guess.

3. Eat a fresh fruit or veggie with every meal. No explanation needed. But, if I'm being honest, I may in fact be the worst vegetarian in the world, and I've pretty much used my vegetarianism as a crutch to feed my carb addiction lately. I guess it's time to change that. (Sigh.)

4. Spend my free time doing more of what I truly love. Now, before you start judging, I'm not hedonistically advocating giving up doing all the things I hate. I've recognized (through "trial and error," if you will) that my laundry won't wash and fold itself, and my errands and work have to be done by someone. But lately, I've been spending a lot of my free time doing stuff which keeps me only mildly and momentarily entertained . . . but doesn't leave me incredibly happy. So, I'm making an effort to spend less of my free time mindlessly browsing the internet, and endlessly re-re-reading the same old Facebook status updates, and more of the free time on hobbies and tasks that I actually love to do.

5. Reach out and show more people how much I care about them. . . and not just once a year, via Christmas cards. Because life is short, right?

6. And finally, download my pictures the ~~day~~ week they are taken. (Hey, I'm not looking to set myself up for failure here.) Because honestly, there are way too many pictures on my SD card that I still haven't downloaded. Like these:

Our trip to the Butterfly Pavilion. . . in February. Oops.

Or these:

Or our trip to George Washington's River Farm . . . in, ahem, March.

These:

I can't even tell you when these photos were taken. April, maybe? I am the worst, I know.

And these:

Don't ask what these are from, but they sure are cute.

Oops.

So, that's that. My official list. Let's see how well I do. How about you guys? What are your resolutions? (You know, in case I screw up any of these and need some more).

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2013-12-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

We're spending the day opening gifts, watching Christmas Story marathons, eating, drinking, and enjoying this wonderful time spent with family!

And if any of you haven't received our Christmas card yet, it's probably because I waited until December 23rd to get those suckers out. So, please accept this digital version until . . . well, whenever it is the mailman decides to deliver yours.

{Consider it a New Year's card. You're welcome.}

Happy holidays!

Very Merry (And a holiday house tour)!

2013-12-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve, y'all!

We took a trip to visit to Santa's workshop this weekend. 90 minutes and $73 later, we walked away with what is ~~probably~~ definitely the best Santa montage ever.

I think it's safe to say that I'm absurdly stoked about the holidays this year. Well, this and every year. We're actually hosting family this coming week, and Alexandra and I have been cooking, baking, singing and wrapping all morning in preparation. Honestly, I didn't think things could get much better. But then! A Christmas Miracle! It began to SNOW (on Christmas Eve, people! ON CHRISTMAS EVE! A WHITE CHRISTMAS!). And to that off, after running a quick errand to the store, we returned home to carolers (CAROLERS!) outside our house.

So, let me repeat. I. LOVE. THE. HOLIDAYS.

One of the best parts about Christmas, of course, are the wonderful traditions I associate with the holiday. I still have amazing memories of attending our family's holiday party in Philadelphia growing up, singing Christmas carols with my Great Uncle Franny and secretly speculating with cousins exactly which uncle had dressed up as Santa (but never letting on to the parents for fear that the gravy train would abruptly come to an end when we did). We still attend that Christmas party (I'm happy to report that Uncle Franny is still going strong leading the chorus of carolers on the guitar). But I want to make sure that we forge new memories with Alexandra as well. So, a few weeks ago, Alexandra and I put together a family gingerbread house.

Unfortunately, I made the rookie mistake of letting this little one dip into the candy bowl a little early. Minutes later, I had a little sugar-laced, crazy-eyed, devil-child running circles around the house, scaling the kitchen table trying to knock the house over, and face planting into the house directly, in a frantic, last-ditch effort to eat candy straight from the house itself. When I eventually tried to wean the kid off of starburst, chocolates and royal icing, Alexandra threw a fit and furiously began pelting the few remaining candies that remained on her high chair tray at Dolce. (The highlight of Dolce's year.)

Big mistake. Huge.

The jury is still out as to whether the gingerbread house thing will make it into our "family traditions" category in the future. Also, please note that this picture does not accurately depict what my child looked like by the end of the gingerbread-building project. No one should ever have to see those images.

And because a few of you have asked, here's a little tour of our house all decorated for the holidays. Our house was featured a few weeks ago in our town's Scottish Walk Tour of Homes, so with the help of my mother and awesome friend/designer/calligrapher Sarah Bohl, I really went all out decorating this year. I can't believe that in a few days we'll have to take all of it down. BOOO.

Can you understand why I want a white Christmas?

The ombre Christmas tree became a design-necessity after Alexandra broke five (FIVE!) of our beautiful blown glass ornaments before they even made it onto our tree. (Goodbye glass, hello uniformly-sized shatterproof plastic!).

Somebody really likes the new winter throw blanket. Also, a rare A-sans-bow moment for the books.

I am a little obsessed with our sequin chevron runner.

Another shot. Can anyone guess who our famous dinner guests were?

We set up a hot cocoa station near our kitchen banquette.

An after-the-tour (accidental) holiday vignette.

(I'll be honest, after looking at these pictures, I'm actually contemplating becoming that weird family who leaves the Christmas decor until July.)

Have a very merry Christmas Eve, loves!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

2013-12-18T23:50:00.001-05:00

It's my favorite time of year, y'all!

To say that I love the holiday season would be a true understatement. Like, the great-grandaddy understatement of all understatements. I've pretty much had one continuous holiday film festival running in the background of everything we've been doing since November 1. The Mariah Carey Christmas CD - yes, the very same CD I received in 8th grade - has played on repeat for basically these last 8 weeks. The house has been festively adorned with twinkle lights, greenery and glittery gold chevron decor for weeks. (Okay, I'm not going to lie, this was mostly because of the fact that our house was included in our town's holiday tour of homes . . . otherwise, I'm sure I would still be maniacally decorating until the moment family arrived Christmas day). And now that I'm officially done with all of my holiday shopping, I feel like I can finally kick back, relax and really bask in the holiday spirit this last week before Christmas.

(All I have to do is receive our holiday cards, address all 52 of them and then get them out to the post office last minute. Damn you, Tiny Prints and your bad customer service, your ridiculously long turnaround times and your adorable photo cards which continuously leave me coming back for more each year.)

And, as I said at this time last year, the holidays are so much more fun with a little one around. You really do forget all of the magic of the holidays as an adult. And, no lie, I've had the best time shopping for gifts for Alexandra this year. I've actually had to start limiting myself. (Thank you, super old house with little-to-no storage space.)

Here are a few of my top picks for what will be under our tree come Christmas morning:

Wooden Magnet Letters / Baby Fortune Cookie Booties / Kids Glockenspiel / Chalkboard Easel / My Puzzle Tis of Thee / Merry Christmas, Strega Nona / President Block Set / Striped Teepee /Manners Flash Cards

Oh, and feel free to pick up one or all of these last-minute gifts for the little ones in your life - most of these gifts are available via Amazon Prime - and all are available from stores that offer Christmas Eve shipping. Believe me, I know. (You're welcome, USPS.)

Happy holidays, y'all!

Allie in One-derland.

2013-11-01T08:57:00.001-04:00

So, I don't know if you guys heard, but this little lady turned one a few weeks ago. (And by a few weeks, I actually mean almost eight weeks ago now. As you can tell, I've been really busy ~~with the new fall tv lineup~~ being a top-notch mom in those past few weeks. So, judge away, internets. Judge away.)

Everyone kept insisting that the first year would just fly by, but I had no idea how smart these people were, and just how lightning-fast that year would truly go. Back when I was still working (as a lawyer . . . not as a full-time nanny/nurse/chef/kid's entertainer/playground ref/childwalker/dogwalker/home administrator, which is pretty much what I consider myself now . . . even if I haven't figured out how to title that on my resume), a whole year really and truly felt like an eternity. Seriously. Someone would ask me about some big, important case that I had handled a few weeks earlier . . . and it would have so long ago, that I would have absolutely no memory of what they were talking about. What case, boss? Never heard of it. But somehow, a year (okay, okay, or a little longer) just flew in a blink of an eye.

And now I'm the mother of a one-year-old. Crazy.

To celebrate Alexandra's first birthday, we threw an Alice in Wonderland-themed party with eleven of Alexandra's baby besties (and forty-something of her adult besties . . . clearly, we have a lot of wonderful, childless friends!) in her favorite place in the world - JW Tumbles kiddie gym. Actually, it was an "Allie in ONEderland" theme, which, if I'm going to be honest, drove my husband a little bit nuts. (Him: What the heck is an 'oh-need-erland?! Me: It's WONDERland. Get it?!? Word play? Allie in Onederland? Because she's one? Like Alice in Wonderland? Haha?! Him: Makes no sense. How do you have friends?) Clever wordplay aside, Alexandra seemed to have an amazing time with all of her favorite people, and I could not speak highly enough about the wonderful ~~circus~~ party her tumbling instructors orchestrated for this little kiddo. (Seriously. Can you even imagine that many people in my house? And entertaining that many toddlers?)

Here are a few of my favorite memories:

Darling little Alice in Wonderland dress courtesy of etsy. Invites courtesy of all the free time I apparently have on my hands.

I may or may not (but definitely did) stay up until 4 am one morning making Alice in Wonderland-themed tutus and bow ties for all the babies. True story.

The little glass milk bottles were one of my favorites.

We set up an Alice in Wonderland-themed photobooth and asked that people bring something for Alexandra's time capsule in lieu of gifts (though of course no one listened . . . sweetest friends ever).

This kid really and truly loves her tumbling instructors.

Baby rocket ship? Yes, please.

But, as always, the baby zip line was definitely the hands-down favorite.

True story about Alexandra's smash cake: I proudly told my darling, adorable (new!) brother-in-law, Jaeson about how many hours I had put into making this little thing. His (absolutely earnest) response? "Oh well, it doesn't look smashed. I mean, it doesn't look good. But, no one can tell it's been smashed or anything." Oh, I love you, Jaeson.

And then our cutie-petutie little neighbor Alex decided to get in on the action. Alex is 7 months older than Alexandra, and apparently, couldn't understand what the hold up was.

She really liked the icing. Didn't touch the cake that I made from scratch, but definitely loved the icing that Betty (Crocker) made from scratch.

Happy Friday, y'all!

Happy Halloween!

2013-10-31T20:37:00.000-04:00

Love,

This little ghost.

Wait a minute, you mean this holiday revolves entirely around eating CANDY?!

(Who, apparently, thinks she is old enough to kiss boys all of a sudden. I see a very strict, very rigid Catholic School education in her future. Preferably one with lots of nuns. Maybe a monastery, even.)

Autumn Wardrobe: Baby Boy Edition.

2013-10-10T11:31:00.000-04:00

Ahhh, autumn.

I was never really a fan of the fall until recently. Don't get me wrong - summer still reigns supreme in my mind - evening runs through the sprinkler, warm, breezy walks along the river, the familiar brrrring! brrrring! of the ice cream truck, the festivities on the Fourth of July, and the sips of cool, refreshing sweet tea (vodka) at night as you listen to the crickets singing (or cicadas, if you're in DC) on your back patio. What's not to love, am I right?

But, autumn. Oh, autumn. You're starting to draw me over to your dark side this year. The days are still long, but just a tad bit cooler, and dare I say, more pleasant. Flowers and trees are still in bloom, the neighborhood children are still outside happily playing. And most importantly, the weather's warm enough to make a somewhat convincing argument for Ben & Jerry's, but also for a Pumpkin Spice Latte (I <3 you, Starbucks). Oh, and then there are the blazers, sweaters and riding boots that you've just been itching to break out for the past six months.

Enjoying the cooler Southern afternoons with trips to the park with friends.

And speaking of autumn wardrobes, I keep joking with James that I'm going to one day take out a second mortgage on our house, dip into our lifesavings, and start a baby boutique. But, here's the thing. I'm not really kidding. Well, not totally. With clothes as cute as these (and, at like, one-tenth the price of the adult version!), how can anyone resist? So, for all of my friends who are preggers with boys, or already have little boys, or plan on one day having a boy, please please please splurge on these autumn wardrobe pieces. I mean that Cable-Knit Pullover?!? I can't. I just can't. It's so freaking adorable. Am I right, or what?

Red Converse/ Blue Adidas/ Striped Hat/ Tie/ Jeans/ Zip-up Cardigan/ Belt/ Brown Boots/ Blazer/ Cable Knit Sweater/ Plaid Shirt/ Buttoned Henley/ Puffer Vest

Happy Autumn! Hope everyone is enjoying this cooler, beautiful weather!

The September Issue: Baby Girl Edition.

2013-09-05T10:25:00.002-04:00

Well, it finally happened. Once upon a time, there was a girl who used to get jazzed to find this month's J.Crew catalog in her mailbox, who wouldn't leave the house until she had devoured the latest issue of Vogue, Lucky, W and Bazaar. A girl who would spend hours diligently reorganizing and rearranging her closet, making mental notes of what was coming down the runway that season, and what pieces she would need in order to adjust her wardrobe accordingly.

And now? Well, now that girl lets weeks go by without even ripping the latest issue of Vogue out of its plastic wrap, without making a single J. Crew purchase, and without even caring what Anna Wintour has to say about this season's answer to colored denim.

That same girl now gets excited by BabyGap, Janie & Jack and Carter's catalogs in the mail. The girl? Well, that girl is me. (I know, I know. You so didn't see that one coming, did you?)

Here are a few of my fall fashion picks from my *new* favorite stores. Absolutely all of these things are adorable; ~~some~~ most of these things are definitely in my online shopping cart, have already found a home in Alexandra's closet, or are currently en route to my house. What can I say? There's just something so irresistible about a mini-peacoat, pint-sized riding boots, a little glitter belt, or a tiny pink puffer vest. Of course, the draw becomes that much more appealing when these items cost a mere fraction of what you'd pay for the identical version in your closet.

First Row: Jean Jacket/Chambray Shirt/Equestrian Skirt/Butterfly Skirt/Tights/Riding Boots
/Houndstooth Cardigan/Corduroy Shorts

Second Row: Puffer Vest/Leopard Dress/Cable Knit Tights/Hunter Boots/Striped Shirt/Polka Dot Jeans/Corsage Cardigan

Third Row: Striped Bateau Shirt/Pants/Peplum Onesie/Sparkle Mary Janes/Wool Peacoat/Sparkle Belt

Sadly, my obsession doesn't stop with little girl's clothing. So, don't worry moms with boys - I'll update next week with my favorites for toddler boys as well.

Well, hello there!

2013-09-04T09:32:00.003-04:00

Based on my silence these last few weeks, you may have been wondering if I died, fell off the face of the planet, given up blogging forever, or somehow lost all ability to speak, write or communicate.

But thankfully, Internet, you would be wrong. I'm still here.

My excuse? Well, as someone (I have no idea who, and am far too lazy to google) said, "it's summertime, and the living is easy." We've really been enjoying the season these last few weeks. So much so that I let a month go by without checking in. But, to be honest, it's kind of nice to take a break from technology. And to be honest, with all that's been going on in our lives this summer, every time I check email on my phone, waste time on Facebook, or read the news (and by "news" I really mean the "Femail" section of the Daily Mail online), I feel like I'm letting precious moments of my child's life slip by. Mommy guilt. It's always there, I guess. Plus, I really don't know how the "real" bloggers do it, writing as often as they do. Are their really lives that much more interesting than mine? (Probably.) Or, is my life really that boring? (I don't want to hear your answers to that.)

But, we've been keeping ourselves busy. Ish. We took a family vacation down to Charleston. Packed in a lot of picnics, ice cream runs, and strolls on the river back home in DC. Visits to museums, car rides down to Williamsburg to see the grandparents, trips to the sprayground, days spent lounging by the pool. We've really been soaking up all the lovely possibilities of my favorite season.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that my kid turned one a few days ago? Yup, that happened. And believe me, I have plenty of pictures to post to prove it.

So basically, my house is a mess, my garden is half dead, and my to-do list has become increasingly longer (well no, that's a lie - it hasn't gotten any longer, since I hit two pages and then gave up). But, living in the moment and soaking up the summer these last few weeks have been totally worth all that.

But before I sign off (I have a very important stroller walk with some mommy friends, and Starbucks run to make, natch), I'll leave you guys with a few pictures from our trip to Charleston. Because no post is complete without photos and no one wants to really read what I have to say anyway. (Seriously, are you guys even still reading this? If so, you're a better person than I am). And, oh yeah, a few of you have been bugging me for Charleston updates, pictures and recommendations. I'll get to that shortly, I promise!

Charlestonians take their window boxes very seriously.

A little dip in the pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park. (Moments before this kid fully embraced the whole concept and threw herself in.)

Because who needs a sprayground when you have a public fountain? I think I enjoyed just watching these kids as much as the kids seemed to enjoy playing.

At the South Carolina Aquarium at Charleston Harbor. Of course my kid found the treehouse.

Alexandra frantically signing "bird, bird, bird!" at the Bald Eagle.

Inside the (fake) Bald Eagle nest. Apparently, their nests can be 6 feet in diameter?! CRAZY TALK!

Probably my favorite set of pictures from the trip. Of course this little kiddo had an audience of old ladies checking her out while she was playing in the bird's nest, and boy, did this kid not disappoint. This was the show that she put on when we told her she was stuck in the eagle's nest, and might never, ever, ever get out.

One very brave diver, waving to us from inside the shark tank. I shudder just thinking about it.

Just chilling, checking out the view of the harbor.

Best dinner of the week. By far.

The wildlife tour at Magnolia Plantation. The kid LOVED it. My husband? Not so much. (To be fair, all we saw were a bunch of disgusto, slimy alligators and a few herons.)

Oh hey, wild turkeys with apparently no fear of tourists, or kids in strollers. What's up?

The gardens at Magnolia Plantation

You know you're in the South when . . . (check out the first option on the menu).

Oh, and before I forget, happy September! (The fact that it's already September - and that my favorite season is just about over - is so crazy to me.)

I'm so going to bond with Kate over this one day. . .

2013-07-23T10:36:00.002-04:00

Y'all, I have a little confession to make. I'm kind of obsessed with the British royal family. Not the whole royal family, mind you. Pretty much just Wills and Kate. Okay, and maybe a little bit the Queen too.

I'm pretty sure that if Kate and I ever met, we would definitely become BFFs. So naturally, I refer to Kate as "my BFF Kate." Well, actually she's more like my "Royal BFF." Not to be confused with my "momma BFF," my "work BFF," or my "real BFF" (who, as I confirmed in one late-night drunken phone call is ~~definitely~~ probably my sister). Importantly, I know that Kate and I wouldn't be just judgy (also known as "fake") BFFs - the type who attend yoga class together while silently judging each other's cellulite or choice of see-through Lululemon yoga pants - but instead, true (royal) BFFs. You know, the kind who accidentally give each other cheap, drugstore-brand dye jobs on a whim, binge on family-sized packs goldfish crackers together, and spend hours together in those same Lululemon yoga pants and a tank top (NOT doing yoga, but instead watching horrible Lifetime movies on a Saturday morning). Yup. Her, me, and possibly Taylor Swift. All BFFs.

And while we're confessing things . . . yesterday my birthday. 25 years old.* That's right kids, the big 2-5. Capital Two, capital Five.

So, it feels fitting that my Royal BFF Kate decided to help me out with all the royal baby pools I'm in, and give birth on my birthday. (And if you're really wondering, of course I'm in ten thousand royal baby pools . . . I have nothing better to do during naptime. And of course I bet that the royal baby was going to be born on my birthday . . . if you found out that a future monarch was predicted to be born some time around your birthday, wouldn't you have done the same? It's a no-brainer.) It's basically as if Kate was saying "you know Cara, I really wanted you to win that walk-on role* replacing Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show, and I know you bet that this kid was going to be born on July 22 in the Today Show's online royal baby pool, so here's my little birthday gift to you." And then, she'd say something cute and oh-so-Middleton, like "hope your day is as fantastic as you are!" (The Middletons are not known for being original.)

So, as I sit here, incredibly tired from a late night celebrating my twenty-fifth with all my other (real) BFFs (James was an absolute doll and set up, and paid for, a surprise girl's dinner complete with champagne service at a fancy DC restaurant!), eagerly awaiting the announcement of this kid's name, all I can think is:

BEST. TWENTY-FIFTH. BIRTHDAY. EVER.**

Happy royal birth week!

*The official rules of the Today Show Royal Baby pool technically mention nothing about the winner replacing Savannah Guthrie in a walk-on role. Yet, like any good lawyer, I choose to read into the rules what I want. Also, since we're talking all "technicalities" here, I'm not 25. I'm 24. Duh.

** This is especially true since my last twenty-fifth birthday was on the first day of the Virginia Bar Exam. Worst. Twenty-Fifth. Birthday. Ever.

Officially a parent.

2013-07-13T09:30:00.000-04:00

It officially happened, folks. I finally lifted the ban on plastic toys in my household. And it's a doozy . . .

Little Tikes Butterfly Beach Sandbox.

Because try as I might, I just couldn't locate a suitable, organic, fair-trade wooden or fabric sandbox-baby pool combo. I know, I know. Who would've thought it, right? So now, every time I look outside at my professionally-gardened patio with beautiful lighting and a bubbling fountain and spy that garish bit of blue plastic in the corner of my eye . . . I die a little inside.

(Okay, I'm exaggerating. My yard's not really that nice. But whatevs, you guys don't know that so let's just pretend it is.)

But, I think Alexandra likes it. . .

So, I guess it's worth it.

Work-free Saturdays

2013-07-12T16:08:00.006-04:00

. . . don't happen often, but when they do, they're really, really, REALLY freaking awesome.

It's a rare event these days that my poor husband gets a full free Saturday outside the office. Often he'll get a few morning hours here or there, but with an afternoon either back in the office, or spent cooped up in the house, face aglow over his work computer for the next 8 hours. Boo.

A few weeks ago, all the stars lined up, a full moon (probably) occurred, and in reality, a few bosses took vacations all at the same time. The result? Work-free Saturday. So, so nice, right? After getting over the initial shock of all the free family time (seriously, we didn't know what to do with ourselves. Do you know how much easier it is to wrangle a mobile baby and a hyper dog when there are two of you and the numbers are even!? There's no ganging up, there's no strength in numbers with the kiddies, full-fledged family equanimity people!), we settled on spending the morning checking out the blooms and cherry blossoms down on the Tidal Basin with my little sister.

And it was gorgeous. And warm. And breezy. And so nice . . . for the approximate two hours we had down there before Alexandra had to check out for nap time.

Here are a few more of my favorite moments.

(Warning: picture overload ahead.)

Not even staged. We just brought a few books (among with a few thousand other toys) to avert a baby meltdown while down there. She picked this out and started pretending to read on her own. Funny how they pick up things like that!

Don't try this at home (or at least not without your baby). Touching the national cherry blossoms is illegal, folks. (For those of you who have seen Legally Blonde - and yes, I'm the lawyer who still refers back to Legally Blonde when it comes to the law - I argued that my kid didn't have the requisite mens rea for an arrest to occur.)

Have a wonderful weekend!