We take so many photos. And I rarely get around to posting them all. So thankfully I have this here blog to dump them all!
Read Moresimple beach mornings
family
beach + donut friyay
Jesse went into work at noon today. The days he works 12-8 are very bittersweet. It means we have time to do something in the morning, but it also means he doesn't get home until late, usually after Evvie is already in bed. Today, he's MOD (manager on duty) which means he'll be extra late because he has to be the last one to leave.
Read MoreFavorite things: baby Einstein
in home, favorite products, family
"Great minds start little." That's Baby Einstein's philosophy, and it's so true. Our babes, from the time they're born, are sponges, soaking up every little thing they see and hear and taste and touch.
That's why we love the 3-in-1 Snack and Discover Seat by Baby Einstein (available at Babies R Us), because it encourages baby to reach developmental milestones like sitting up, snacking, and sitting with family at the table, as well as encourages learning, laughing, and family moments. There are 3 parts to the seat: Support Seat for the floor, Snack and Activity Seat with tray for the floor, and Chair Top Booster Seat strapped to a chair. It's super easy to move from one place to another around the house, and there's a soft and removable foam material on the seat which adds comfort and makes it easy to clean.
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Tuesday is the new Friday | Suarezes at the Zoo
I haven't blogged in over a month. How sad. Things have been crazy over here, but I'm happy to get back into it with this little spontaneous adventure we went on.
I always forget that this time of year the weather is bipolar. It'll be 50 degrees when you leave in the morning and then 80 by noon. So, note to self: dress in layers. I was wearing a long sleeve with jeans and very quickly regretted it. Granted, we weren't planning to go to the zoo when we left in the morning, otherwise I would have planned ahead.
Ever woke up at 5:30 in the morning. So we had lots of time to get ready and somehow made it out of the house by 9 to go to Denny's with Jesse's mom and grandma. And, there was a white wall. So, photos, duh.
Read MoreJanuary in Utah | A Vacation
in tavel/adventures, family, style
Another trip to Utah.
We didn't get to see my family for christmas this year so we had to plan a trip a couple weeks into january. Plus, we were waiting for my sister to have her precious baby boy.
It worked out perfectly, as it always does, and my extended family was able to travel south to see us, and we did our whole chirstmas thing together.
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Thanksgiving in Utah 2016
in family, tavel/adventures, home
It's always a struggle figuring out what we're doing for thanksgiving because Jesse works in retail and it's mandatory that he works every single black Friday. But, thank God, this year, he randomly had tuesday, wednesday, and thursday off, (then got his monday covered) so we quickly communicated with my family and planned to do thanksgiving early on wednesday so we could fly home on thursday in time for the black friday madness. The Lord really had His hand over this whole trip. It was completely bizarre that he even had those days off, and the way we were able to plan everything in a few days was amazing.
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Marriage after parenthood
in family, Marriage, motherhood
Coming into marriage, I had a lot of expectations. Like most of us. Expectations that I didn't know I had. Like how he was going to let me win every argument. And how he would think it's cute when I give him attitude. And how he would always go out of his way to make me feel pampered (which is true but not always.)
Read MoreLos Aviones
We woke up bright and early because of daylight savings, and found ourselves with so much time before church. So we decided to take Ever to see her beloved airplanes that she loves to watch take off from the airport near our house.
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Ever's first Halloween (costume...)
Halloween is not my favorite holiday, honestly. When I was a kid, my mom would make us super-elaborate costumes, but the older we got the less we cared, and we all became unfestive. But for the sake of Ever having the fullest childhood possible, I decided to dress up for her first Halloween.
We had been brainstorming for weeks about a family costume, but nothing seemed right. Then it came to me. A magician, his assistant, and the rabbit. It was perfect. So original. Never been done before. Or so I thought. One Pinterest search later and that theory was proven wrong. Regardless, that's what we were gonna be.
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The Getty | a daycation
A random sunday afternoon, and we decided to head to LA to our favorite museum: The Getty. We got there at 5 (they close at 5:30), just long enough to wander around outside and take some pictures. Such is our life. Late everywhere, but we always manage to get a million pictures somehow.
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The Waves and The Sunset
We've been sick all week and have hardly left the house. But the other night we had plans to go to T-Mobile so I could get the iPhone 7. Which we soon were informed that they're all sold out until the end of October. Anyways, on our way we decided to first make a stop at the beach so Jesse could fly his drone (eye roll). But, the waves were amazingly huge, and the sunset was the prettiest I've seen in a while, and we took probably some of my favorite pictures to date. We weren't all dressed up, we didn't have a specific product we had to take pictures of, and it wasn't our goal to even take pictures, and I think that's why I love them so much.
Sometimes I really hate California and wish Jesse would want to move to Utah. But, times like this remind me that this is home for now, and I love it.
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Palm Springs | A Vacation
Our 2 year wedding anniversary was quickly approaching, and, like with every other special event, we didn't even notice, let alone make plans. So a couple days before the actual day, we very very last minute and spontaneously decided to spend the night in Palm Springs. We found a hotel, booked it, packed up for the night and hit the road.
We invited Jesse's mom along so she could babysit Ever while we went on a date that night. Which didn't end up happening, but I'll get to that later.
Read MoreEver Joy Eats | Baby Led Weaning
in family, favorite products, home
We started solids with Ever shortly after she turned six months old. She was obviously ready. She had been grabbing at our food and watching us eat and drink with awe for quite some time, but we wanted to wait until six months anyway.
I've quite enjoyed the benefits of exclusively breastfeeding for the past six months (such as weight loss, and natural birth control, to name a couple ;)), and breastmilk will continue to be her main source of calories/food. Beginning solids is simply a way of teaching a baby how to eat like a human, getting them used to different flavors and textures.
Read MoreMom Style | To: Little Arrows
Mom life. The hardest and best job I've ever had. And even though it's 24/7, I never get a break, and I'm highly underpaid, it's so worth it. This shirt by To: Little Arrows sums it up perfectly. "So cool. So crazy. So worth it. Mom life."
Read MoreImperishable Clothing Co.
First of all, we had so much fun with this shoot. Who would have thought that a grocery store would be such a great setting? Evvie didn't quite understand what was happening but she seemed to have fun nonetheless.
Imperishable Clothing Co. is a faith based company that carries t-shirts for all ages, with a wide range of sayings. Their mission is to start conversations with their shirts, so that the gospel is spread throughout the world.
Read MoreLazy Tuesday
in family
Jesse's day off, my day off, and we didn't want to do anything. I woke up with a stomach ache, so Jesse took Ever to go vote while I stayed home a took a hot bath. They gave Evvie her own sticker! And I thought I couldn't vote because I wasn't registered, but we realized at the end of the day that I sill could have. Whoops.
Anyways, we just wanted to be lazy all day. Then we caught Ever staring at the trees outside the window, and it was such a gorgeous day, so we grabbed a blanket and went outside on a little patch of grass in our apartment complex. Ever was fascinated by our neighbor's American flag he has outside, as well as by all the trees. She loves to be outside, and I don't blame her. We tried to get her to watch the airplanes as they took off (we live by an airport), but she wasn't super interested, just wanted to stare at the flag.
LA Arts District | a daycation
A mutual day off for all of us, including our friend Angel, aka Uncle Angel, and what do we do? Go to LA of course.
We love LA. It's only an hour drive from Orange County (where we live), and there's so much to explore. You'll literally never see it all.
This time we decided to explore the Arts District. There's a cool new "museum" that we saw the last time we were here, but didn't have time to check it out.
Of course, picturesque walls galore. What I didn't take any pictures off however, were alllll the walls with super cool abstract murals. But, you can never go wrong with a white brick wall.
Jesse's shirt is from Jean and June, and was a limited Father's Day style, but check out their amazing other styles!
My outfit: chambray top + tee + sunglasses.
Uncle Angel:
Second stop: The Line Hotel. This hotel is home to The Comissary restaurant (you've probably seen it on Instagram. The restaurant that looks like a green house). We've eaten here before so thought we would go again because we loved it. But, we were a little early for dinner, and decided nothing on the dinner menu looked good so we took pictures and walked (because we thought we wouldn't be able to find parking but when we got there the restaurant had its own parking. Whoops.) 15 minutes to Beer Belly. Definitely a good choice.
Father's Day Gift Guide
Happy almost Father's Day! There's still time to get something special for that special baby daddy, so I did a little roundup of gift ideas for the minimalist fashionisto (not positive that's a word). I am always scrambling at the last minute for a gift, so buying something off the internet is usually out of the question. So this year I'm keeping my eyes open for some goodies early on so I don't miss out like I always do, this being my husband's first Father's Day, and all.
San Juan Capistrano | a daycation
Our adventure today got off to a slow start. Of course, we had to wait to get out of the house until Ever woke up from her morning nap. Then, we originally planned to drive north to Santa Monica, and traffic was horrible, and after driving an hour we turned around and drove another hour in the opposite direction. To San Juan Capistrano. There was no parking because everyone and their mom (literally) was there for Prom to take pictures. What we gathered from eavesdropping is that it was a planned event for everyone to take pictures there. So we got to see all the cute dresses and slightly annoying high schoolers. Can't believe we used to be annoying high schoolers. Now we're cool parents.
Adventuring is hard with a baby. We used to drop everything and drive somewhere spontaneously without a second thought. But now, Ever's needs come first, and it can be a little frustrating when she slows us down or puts a damper on our plans for the day. But a tired baby is not a fun baby, so that takes priority. Thankfully, today Ever was is a great mood, even though she only slept for 30 minutes of the 2 hour car ride.
After walking around a little bit, we went to dinner where Ever attracted all the stares with her happy screams.
Oh there was also a petting zoo. The end.
Ever's outfit:
bow: Fourth + Pierce
top: Zara
shorts: June Park
shoes: Mon Petite Shoes
Gugu Guru Baby Registry
"Which stroller should we pick, Evvie?"
Okay, I so wish I knew about Gugu Guru when I was pregnant. It would have saved me a lot of stress and confusion. I had no idea what to register for so I registered for EVERYTHING. Actually three of everything, just in case. And I changed my registry about ten times, too.
Gugu Guru is a new baby registry website that makes unbiased, personalized product recommendations based on your lifestyle and personal style. Upon signing up, you take a fun quiz to let Gugu Guru know about your lifestyle, the clothing and decor styles you like, and your product preferences.
Step one:
You let them know your style. I obviously gravitate towards COMFORTABLE.
Next, your baby's style.
I think Ever needs everything seen here.
Then, your nursery style.
Once you've finished the style quiz, you're going to let them know a little bit about your preferences.
Then some lifestyle questions.
And voila! Your preferences are recorded and it takes you to the products. They give you a "perfect match" product recommendation so you can pick and choose to create your own personal baby registry.
No searching website after website to find what you're looking for, then adding the link into your registry, Gugu Guru makes suggestions for you and you choose from there. The products they recommend aren't only the top, name brand items, either. They will recommend those classic brands, but also new undiscovered brands and etsy treasures as well.
BUT, if they don't happen to have a product that you're dying to have on your registry, there's an option to add the URL yourself.
Also, a fun new tool that they added is the Gugu Concierge.
This is a personal shopping service where REAL people search high and low for the perfect products for you. I, for one, get so overwhelmed with all the options out there for the simplest things, and who needs any extra stress when you're pregnant? This service takes that burden off your shoulders and places it on a professional burden-holder/personal shopper/lifesaver. And there are 3 different packages you can choose from.
Overall, Gugu Guru would have been a lifesaver in my pregnancy. Now that Ever is here, though, I can still send my friends and family the link to my registry when they ask what we still need. As she grows, I'm always coming up with new things that she needs. And instead of stressing myself out by trying to research every detail of every product, I'll let Gugu Guru do the work for me.