easter day recap.

this easter season was a long and fun one. it seemed like we were doing easter egg hunts every other day, whether it be outside with friends or around the house to keep us busy. quite honestly, i think harper had come to expect candy hidden in all corners of the house. so on easter morning, she was awfully excited at yet ANOTHER easter egg hunt! 

by this time around though, the easter bunny had learned that little girls don't need sweets in every single egg and started packing them with any non-sugary food said bunny could find around his rabbit hole late the night before—cereal, crackers, fruit…you name it! needless to say, she still had a blast scavenging for those eggs. 

***this beautiful painting of Christ stands in the doorway at our church. and every time we walk by it harper waves at her jesus. so it was very fitting that the only photo i managed to snap of her wearing her easter dress was by the photo. i'm still hitting myself for not getting that family photo though!***

 ***heading home from easter dinner with friends. they melt my heart***

oh christmas tree!

christmas time in our household is a happy time. right as halloween rounds the corner, i'm on to the next. and luckily here in britain, the next is christmas. sorry thanksgiving! {although i am very thankful for you? uhhh…} every year on black friday, hubs and i are out on a hunt for the biggest grandest tree of them all. this year, i simply couldn't wait that long so i did the unmentionable. i got us a fake tree. gasp! well technically, we inherited it from a dear friend who was moving, so saving £80 really helped to lighten that blow. now i just need a christmas tree-scented candle and we're good!

although we got our tree set up early, decorating it was a whole different beast! has anyone else felt like a lazy bum lately? my decorations sat next to my tree for over a week. a week! i even jokingly {read: in all seriousness} asked my babysitter to decorate the tree while we were away last friday. didn't happen.

so we finally got around to decorating said tree the other night. harper had fun picking up the ornaments and gently, a term used very loosely, placing them on the tree. or as you'll see below…chucking them across the room! we ended up designating a soft bird ornament as "hers". when she wants to touch an ornament, this is the one she can touch. it's been a few days, and this little game has worked out quite nicely for us. but seriously, aren't we all quite crazy for putting up this flickering, alluring toy with all sorts of delicate items within our children's reach? we're cray, i tell ya!! 

the tree is up, christmas baking has begun, the shopping is almost finished! we're feeling good over here!

check out our trees from years' past: here, here, here & our small-space alternative here.

 ***nothing more sexy than a man decorating my christmas tree. gosh, i hope that isn't a sexual term i'm unaware of...***

***the photo on the left was taken about .3 seconds before harper picked up that ornament and chucked it across the room. nice.***

***harper hanging her first christmas ornament. i can't believe this will be our second christmas with her. isn't christmas with kids so much fun? maybe it's just that i feel much less greedy with a child around.***

happy hump day!

i think you're going to find a common theme in my post today,

and it's that each requires a tissue.

i don't know if it's the holidays or that special time of month, but i am SA-PPY!

here are some of my favorites of the week.

……..

if this doesn't make you believe in santa, i don't know what will.

now THIS is how to be proposed to!

if only for a second…

a new age in santa letters. ha!

a new perspective for moms.

and on a lighter note—

jimmy kimmel exposes the arctic weather in california. 

if buzz from home alone had instagram #woof

velvet crush // for her & him.

velvet is one hot item this winter season! and i'm not talking about that thick velvet dress your mom forced you to wear to your neighbor's christmas party. i'm talking light and luscious winter velvet, in an array of fun colors and textures. I've included some of my favorite velvet pieces this year — dressy and casual— that you'll be crushing on all winter.

for her:

for him:

$50 boden giveaway!

hello lovies! i have teamed up with the beautiful ladies over at lunch pails and lipstick to share some of my favorite go-to looks for the holiday season. and to kick off this holiday season in style, i am sponsoring a $50 giveaway to boden!

boden is one of my favorite british brands for the whole family, and i have been crushing on it for years. luckily, it's also available in america, and i hope you fall head over heels for it too. how could you not! :) so jump over to lunch pails and lipstick for a chance to win $50 to boden!

harper is wearing one of my favorite dresses from boden. it's bright and fun for the season and very versatile. it also has a nice heavy texture, so it can handle the weather.  she is also wearing the boden elephant bodysuit and ribbed tights. as you can tell, it's an unhealthy obsession. :)

gift guide: for the little.

i had so much fun gathering items for this gift guide as it's right up our alley this year! harper has tried just about every one of these toys, and each one conquered her short attention span. that's seven wins for mama! enjoy. 

1. the land of nod shopping cart {$69} for those littles that like to be just like mama, this mini shopping cart is perfect for all their kitchen goodies. i've seen a few different versions of these on the market, but this one is extra compact and durable. 

2. restoration hardware superhero in a box {$19} i don't think we get more adorable than this costume-in-a-box. restoration hardware has done good this year with lots of other fun gifts-in-a-box including this balloon animal kit and chalkboard door hanger. these also make for great stocking stuffers!

3. hunter wellies {$50} i gave in and bought harper a pair of hunter wellies, and it's one of our best purchases to-date. they are expensive, but she never takes them off and wears them rain or shine. they are so cute on her little legs, not heavy like other wellies we sampled, and go with everything!

4. the land of nod pyramid blocks {$79} these are such a fun, stylish alternative to your typical block set. and their solid construction ensures they'll last for ages. 

5. prince lionheart wheely bug {$53} harper hopped on one of these the other day and wouldn't get off. even for her uncoordinated self she easily maneuvered it all over the floor. and with seven different animal/bug designs, you can have your pick! i'm especially fond of the bumblebee and hedgehog. 

6. house of mia arrow leggings {$32} i love the design of these organic cotton leggings! they're so fun and modern and super versatile. plus, who isn't a fan of the unisex print? #doublewhammy

7. habitat push-along bus {£20} along with making incredible modern furniture, habitat also has an ace selection of kid's toys. i love this little bus for the small kiddos to help with their coordination. plus how cute would it look sitting on the shelf when not in use?

happy fourth!

i hope you are all enjoying your independence day!

todd is looking sexy in front of the grill,

while i look not-so sexy stuffing myself on mallows and brats. 

we are so thankful for our freedom and liberties our great country continues to fight for. 

we love you, usa!

a spooktacular halloween.

at our halloween party this year, we had all sorts of characters arrive—

 a little garden gnome

mta workers accompanied by their M train

fred flintstone

a clown—which the kids were not too fond of

jelly bellies

and even the black-eyed peas

as for hubs and i? we dressed up as the hosts :) 

we enjoyed great food and even better company.

things got especially crazy once we brought out the envelope game—

a get-to-know-you-a-little-too-much game that always seems

to make an appearance at our halloween parties. 

love you friends!

what our weekend consisted of...

i'd never made a pie before. not even a cream pie. 

pathetic, i know. 

but considering it's the holidays and sweaters can cover

up any calorie overhaul, hubs and i decided to change that record. 

i'm not the biggest fan of apple pies, so we opted for a mixed berry.

{reminds me of sunday dinners back at grandma's}

we made the berry mixture from scratch as well as the crust.

impressive right? i wouldn't have been able to do it though if it weren't

for kelsey's essentials. she makes pie crust, well easy as pie. 

the only ice cream we had to eat with our fresh pie

was edy's peppermint. but no lie, it was delicious together!

holiday baking. yum!

a christmas spectacular!

 with a little help from natalie, we were able to convince the boys

to accompany us to the christmas spectacular this year.

i had never been inside radio city music hall before, so i was blown away by how
massive and grandeur the building was. it was so beautiful.

i felt under dressed just being inside.

once we got settled into our seats, and the show began i was amazed again
with the overall production of the show.

the talent was great,

the sets were elaborate {live camels for crying out loud},

and the christmas message was a breath of fresh air.

i can't imagine any better way of kicking off the christmas season

then with a little holiday cheer!

i'm on a holiday high!!

dear santa baby.

dearest santa, 

i know i've already picked out my gifts this year, 

but i have just a few more things i want, err need!

i have even made nice little links to each of these things. 

they're so wonderful,

don't you think??

the acrobatics necklace from anthro.

the bowler camera bag from acme made.

fur stole from topshop {faux fur. naturally.}

our home smells like christmas.

i almost leaked myself saturday when i finally saw the men selling trees on the corner. 

i would have bought one 3 months ago if available,

but for some reason they feel it necessary to wait one month before christmas to bring them out!

 in our three christmas's together, we'd never bought a real tree,

just had our sad {yet slightly adorable} charlie brown tree. 

but this year, i put my foot down.

i wanted, no needed, a christmas tree!

upon sight of the first tree i shouted, "beautiful! we'll take it!",

 but hubs had to quickly reel me back seeing that i was a little uneducated
in the whole tree-buying business. {my mom was a big believer in the costco trees}.

who knew you had to evaluate every single attribute: needle length, branch thickness, 

sturdiness, and the list goes on...

but after finding our pretty little thing, we sang christmas carols all the way home,
followed by a bit of home alone action as we decorated.

nbc studios tour.

*the roots drumset at fallon*

*playing backstage of snl*

During my family's visit, we were able to get tickets

for a private tour of the nbc studios.

We even had our own "Kenneth" guiding us along.

We were taken behind-the-scenes to the sets of

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, and MSNBC.

Unfortunately Liz Lemon or Tracy Jordan were nowhere to be seen.

a time to reminisce.

Christmas is in two days and the new year is just around the corner. And I really can't help but think
back on how blessed Todd and I have been this past year.

We graduated from college, have each been blessed with great jobs that make us very happy, have
amazing families and friends that keep us grounded, have knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and
most importantly….we have one another.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! 
{ps. our christmas tree had fallen off the wall by the morning}