A BROOKLYN SURPRISE

I racked my brain for weeks on what to plan for my mans big 3 0. I think everyone should have a surprise party thrown in their honor at least once in their life and thirty is a major celebratory age so the wheels started turning. I decided on The Crown Victoria in Williamsburg and got to work on the invites. Just when I was starting to feel pretty good about myself and my sneaky ways, Ivan began trying to poke around for hints. Sorry to all the friends who received some pretty verbal text messages from me (eep!) but Ivan really left me no choice (I blame him, you guys!). Fast forward to Saturday and as Ivan and I walked to the Crown Vic the skies opened up and were all like “birthday? what birthday? oh you wanted to drink beer in the sunshine?..We arrived huddled under our umbrella and I couldn’t be happier to see all our beautiful friends smushed together under picnic umbrellas with balloons. Such good sports! Everyone yelled “surprise!!” and the party commenced. The look on Ivan’s face was priceless and so worth it. After 20 minutes of showers the sun came out and the fun really started. It was the perfect Saturday. The perfect day. And I know Ivan thought it was the perfect birthday. Thank you to all of our fabulous friends for coming and celebrating my handsome man.
I love you, I love you, I love you Ivan.

AFTERNOON DATES AND CHILDREN OF THE TRIBE

Lately we have been spending our afternoons wandering around Central Park. The blooms are in full swing and we are loving every beautiful blossom. I’m hoping for a million more delightful afternoons with my boy this summer.

Oh, and those adorable shorts Lucas is sporing? I’m just a weeee bit obsessed with the brand Children of the Tribe. The collections inspiration is taken from Byron Bay, Australia where the clothing is produced. Think mountains, earth tones, water, and deserts. The fabric is impeccable and the prints are out of this world. Lucas is wearing the dead fish shorts and they are perfection. “We create quality, timeless, stylish clothing for free-spirited little people who love to roam in the sand dunes, day dream in tree tops, and run barefoot through long grass.” Don’t forget play in Central Park 😉 Obsessed! I’m currently drooling over these. Flamingos in NYC? Yes, Please! Shop the whole collection here.

hat c/o sly fox threads | tee from hanes | shorts c/o children of the tribe | sneakers from converse

19/52

19-52“A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
This was taken this morning – playing with papi’s 30th birthday balloons. Balloons make for the best entertainment and I love how you say “baaaoooon!”.

A very happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas, aunties, madrinas, and friends! I hope today was filled with love, naps, and kisses from your babes.

MAMA AND LEÓN WEAR

My current obsession? This t-shirt dress from No Sweet. No Sweet is one of my very favorite brands for Lucas and they recently launched their big girl collection. I might have had a serious “eek!” moment because visions of being all matchy matchy with my boy took over and yes, I am THAT mom. I am going to be living in this dress all dang summer. It’s light weight and so so comfortable.  Lucas is wearing a bad ass sweater from Noonie and Nacho.  The line was created by Valerie Mayen who is also the designer of Yellowcake and one of the fab designers featured on season 8 of Project Runway (total fan girl over here!). Not only is her new children’s collection SICK, portions of all Noonie and Nacho sales will go to the HALO Foundation and Love & Hope Children’s Home. Seriously, so incredible. Her first collection just launched this week and I couldn’t be more honored to be working with such an amazing, talented lady.

HAPPY HAPPY MY LOVE!



My sweetest love is 30 today. We have shared a million kisses, countless birthdays and anniversaries, wishes, dreams, hopes, the birth of the greatest gift on Earth..

Ivan, after 13 years you are still my dream boat. The man I want to spend every waking moment with. I love you. Happy 30th mi amor! Cheers to more babies, more living, more laughs and 100 more birthdays together. You are my magic.

#REDBALLOONSFORRYAN

Yesterday I woke up to the devastating news that my friend Jacqui’s son had passed away in a tragic accident. I scrolled through Instagram and passed photo after photo of the gorgeous red haired boy that had always brought so much light and joy to my feed. Little Ryan Cruz was tragically taken from his parents on May 2nd. I struggled all day to comprehend what happened to Ryan. He innocently ran into the street to retrieve a frisbee and was struck. How easily this could have been any one of us. Any of our own children. I thought of Jacqui. The grief and anguish. A mother’s worst nightmare.

Before I had Instagram and long before I had my own blog, I had the privelage to connect and become friends with Jacqui through her blog. I was pregnant with Lucas at the time and Ryan was one. She was one of the first mamas I got to know through blogging and social media and although I never got to meet Jacqui or Ryan in person, I felt like I knew them. Her photos radiated so much love and her son was her everything.
There is a lot to be said for the negativity and pitfalls of blogging, Instagram, etc. But man, there can also be so much good. There are thousands upon thousands of families sharing this beautiful boys story via social media. Sending their love, their fierce prayers and their compassion to the Cruz family. It’s truly humbling to witness this tribe of mamas, most who don’t even know each other, come together to try and bring a glimmer of light back to Jacqui and her family. I don’t know what anyone can truly say to take away this family’s pain, because really, there is nothing. But we can all continue sharing the memory of Ryan and make sure Jacqui knows that he will never, never be forgotten. #redballoonsforryan
Read more of Jacqui and Ryan’s story here. You can make a donation here as well purchase these beautiful t-shirts. All proceeds will go to Ryan’s family. 

LESS | MORE

My sweet friend Karim (who is a real life doll, people!) recently wrote a less/more list on her blog and I thought it was pretty freaking awesome and so fitting for the start of a new month. So without further adieu, I present my list:
 
Less talking about my problems. More talking about the good. 
Less coke. More water. 
Less time worrying about cleaning. More time outside. 
Less self-critquing. More self-acceptance. 
Less complaining. More doing. 
Less over analyzing. More taking action. 
Less fear. More believing in my dreams. 
Less media. More books.
Less “I’m too tired”. More time with the mister. 
Less hurrying. More enjoying the moment. (Totally stole this one from Karim.) 

I hope I can actually take my own advice and follow my “more” goals. What’s your less/more list? I’d love for you to share yours or link up!

18/52

18-52“A portrait of son, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
Today we celebrated daddy’s upcoming birthday (he’s going to be 30!) at grandma’s house. He shares his birthday week with both your uncles and your grandpa. It’s an annual traditional to celebrate all the boys with lasagna, strawberry cheesecake, and all the family. At some point you decided to take off your shirt because celebrating is better in the nude.  Always.

THE DANCING KING AND HIS DANCING PANTS

I love our weekend trips to Brooklyn. My sister in law is lucky enough to live a stones throw from Prospect Park which makes for fun, family picnics and easy access to a bathroom 😉 Lucas usually naps around 12pm and since we were on the train headed to the park during that time he decided to skip his usual snooze time (trains rides are just way too exciting!). As we approached the park he slowly started to turn into a MESS – skipping nap time will do that to you. So he slept for the first 2 hours and woke up with the dancing bug. FYI – yes, I’m a lucky mama. My kid can sleep through anything. Including a magic act and hip hop music blasting throughout the park. So fast forward 2 hours later and the kid was ready to party. I may be biased but Lucas is an incredible dancer. Seriously guys, the boy has moves! The moment my boy turns 3 (EEK!) he will be enrolled in dance. Dancing was such a big part of my life as a child and I think it’s such an incredible way to learn to express yourself. Plus music and dance is just in his blood. It’s pretty clear to see. So any who, dance class in a few months, amazing park trips to look forward to this summer, and the dopest dancing pants you ever did see.                                     tee c/o no sweet | pants from munster kids c/o carousel ny | sneakers from converse 

PRETTY LITTLE THINGS

My new skirt aka my new favorite eye candy from Dana-Leigh Apparel. You can see how I styled it here.

This sparkly beauty has been hanging over our bed for over a year and I still haven’t tired of it. The colors are just too good.

Oh, deer! Ivan despises her but she’s my homie. Yep. She is. And look how pretty she looks wearing my vintage hat.

Neon moccs. Neon PINK moccs. They will be released May 15th. 

Gold border polaroids. 
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