This little girl has learned how to climb and there is absolutely no stopping her. I can’t imagine how long she’s been waiting to get up there on the sofa. She mostly likes to perch there on the side table but when she sees us coming for her, she hightails it up to the cushion. Sometimes I’ll spy her from another room just lounging on the sofa, looking around. Sometimes she’s up there watching TV and holding the remote in her tiny hands. She’s the silliest little thing to see.

First walking, now climbing…we’re in toddler territory and there’s no stopping her. What’ll be next?

I hope your Monday’s off to a great start. I woke up with a headache that dances from my sinuses to my temples and I’ve already lost my phone twice…eesh. Here’s hoping the day picks up around here!

xoxo

It’s been a few weeks since Miss Poppers turned the big ONE and I think I’ve finally come to terms with it. I tell both the girls that they’ll always be my baby (cue Mariah Carey, each and every stinking time). But Poppy is the baby and I’m still going to call her that for a while longer. Even though she doesn’t really look like a baby anymore and she toddles around all day now. She’s still a baby!

I thought I’d share some photos of her first little birthday party. I really enjoy planning these things and seeing it all come together, but somewhere in the midst of all that, I never fail to drive myself a little nuts. It doesn’t help that I have a hard time accepting help. I suppose I’m kind of a control freak that way. But in the end, I’m so happy to see everything come together and give the girls a special time and make some memories to take away too.

I’ve created a tradition of making a little cake topper for each of the girls’ birthdays every year. I try to make the theme of the topper match the party or what the girls are into at that time. My hope is that one day they’ll cherish these little cake toppers as keepsakes. So this year for PoppyLou, I had the little girl clutching a blanket because Poppy is all about her blankies.

I made a chocolate cake for the party and used this recipe from The Pioneer Woman. (It’s my go-to chocolate cake. It’s sooo good!) The frosting is butter based and sets up pretty firm so we actually didn’t get one of those super messy one year olds with frosting all over the place. Wait – yes I guess we did but it was more of a cake mess than frosting. Poppy has taken an instant and intense liking to chocolate. Yes!

We decided to do a “pop” theme for the party, using a few nicknames we have for the girl. There was pop(kettle)corn, lollipops made from cake pops, and fizzy soda pop drinks to be enjoyed. We ordered bottle labels from Pinhole Press back when we ordered our Christmas cards from them and were so pleased with how they came out! I’d love to include this idea in each birthday party from now on. Think how cool, being a little kid and drinking from a bottle with your cute mug on it? The labels read, “Poppy turns ONE! Enjoy a fizzy pop.”

We didn’t do much in the way of decorations and I realized that the morning of the party. I really focused on the food. I guess food was the decoration at this party, and we didn’t have to clean it up after guests went home!

We had a fun time with our family and a few close friends that day. Once again, I was reminded how lucky these little girls are to be surrounded by the wonderful people in their lives.

Thanks for taking a peek at Poppers’ party. I hope your weekend’s off to a beautiful start!

xoxo,
Katy

“Look Mama, I’m ballerin-ing!”

Yesterday morning as we were getting ready for the day, I turned to see this girl lightly and steadily walking her way along the ledge of our bed, arms held out at her shoulders.

“Look Mama!”

“Oh you’re balancing!!”

“Yea!”

She ran to the other side of the bed and performed her balancing act on the opposite ledge. And then:

“Look Mama, I’m ballerin-ing!”

This time I turned to face a tiny little ballerina, holding the sweetest little ballet pose. She was even pointing her toes. She held it long enough for me to grab my phone, frozen with pride. I’m so glad she let me capture it.

What a sweet little ballerina. I can’t wait to get her in class. I think she’s going to love it.

always on the move, always a blur…

This little peanut has discovered the magic of legs and she is hooked.

The lollipop really took off over the Christmas holiday and these photos are actually from our weekend at Grandma’s house, three weeks ago.

These days she is walking. Everywhere. And walking only. She’s so over the crawling…

It’s such a treat to see this little lady grow in confidence with each step she takes. I love getting to experience the joy of something that us grown-ups consider mundane – we probably never really think about how cool it is to walk – but to her it’s OH MAH GAH, IMA WALKIN’!!!

I’m so thankful to relive these little things through these girls of ours.

XoXo, Katy

We ate hotdogs and chili dogs in the snow at the corner hotdog stand, avoided Bam and Zeek the dogs at all costs (“I don’ like da big doggies!!!”), and found a new love in Grandpa’s drum set. And us grownups had a couple fun game nights after the littles went to bed.

We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa, and Erin and Alex being there? All the better. Here is our New Year’s weekend in the snow, in pictures:

P.S. to Grandma Cheryl – Ella asked me yesterday, “You sink Gamma Cheryl is takin’ care of dee snowmans?” I told her I’m sure they’re happy as can be.

Hi there! I’m back with another outfit styling from way back when.

Well, I think it’s about time we fancy things up around here. Most of my outfit photos are snapped on our way out somewhere and it’s fastest just to go stand in front of our wall (or the neighbor’s, if I’m feeling like their beige paint compliments my outfit better – haha, jokinggg). But these bare walls have left me feeling really uncreative and honestly it’s the reason I haven’t posted outfit photos in a while.

So since I’ve been feeling bad about that lately, I decided it was time to spice things up a little. If you don’t like something, change it, right?

I’ve been having so much fun doodling on these photos! (And another plus, I can illustrate into the awkward spaces in some photos! Half the time I don’t even know what I’m doing with my arms and legs…see second photo above.)

The past few months of constant sewing and crafting in preparation for craft shows and Christmas have left me feeling uninspired creatively. But I feel this little practice is getting my creative juices flowing again. Hooray!

From my closet:

Blouse // H&M
Trousers // Gap
Wedges // Blowfish Shoes
Lips // Dare You by MAC

What an amazing evening.

I’m going to get a little foodie/geeky here but at this point I just don’t think I can contain it! Food is something that Anthony and I are totally passionate about. If I ever get brave enough, I’ll share the way we eat and shop in our house…

For Christmas, Anthony bought two tickets to a cooking class hosted by Phoenix Public Market and Devour Phoenix. Part of the Winter Chef Series, our class last night was taught by Chef Jared Porter from The Parlor Pizzeria (one of our family’s very favorite restaurants).

He was a great host and had so much knowledge to share about food. Attending his class just confirmed our love of The Parlor and all the dishes they offer – clean, fresh, and local.

Our first course was goat cheese ravioli, made from fresh pasta. Chef Porter referred to goat cheese as “stank cheese” and never having tasted goat cheese before, I can safely say that I am now a fan of the stank cheese. Chef Porter showed us how to make the pasta dough, roll it out, fill it, and how to shape it into the bishop’s hat shape.

We were thrilled about this because this past weekend, we tried our hand at pasta from scratch for Sunday dinner. We mixed the dough, kneaded it, ran it through the pasta crank, cut it, cooked it and then – devoured it. It tasted amazing and was surprisingly easy to do! We decided that fresh pasta might need to be a staple in our weekly meal planning. I thought it was funny that we tried this just before learning about it in class that night. We definitely picked up a few tips for next time. I’d love to do a post about making fresh pasta sometime soon.

…Then they brought out our bowl and we all dined on goat cheese ravioli in a roasted beet sauce with arugula, walnuts, and roasted beets for garnish. This was my favorite dish of the night. It was incredible! The dish was served with a really nice wine – being a non-drinker, I didn’t retain the name. That being said, this non-drinker was a fan of that wine and pairing.

For the second course, we were treated to beef stufato (fancy for stew) and root vegetable ragu with house-made focaccia. He paired it with an Arizona brewed milk stout and the two together were amazing! I never ever drink alcohol but I figured, “When in Rome…” right? I had to try the pairing and I really appreciated the way the two complimented each other.

Then came dessert! Royal Coffee Bar (the shop located inside of Phoenix Public Market) provided drip coffee which was doctored up with a little Tuaca booze and Fall-spiced whipped cream. Chef Porter demonstrated how to make sweet potato bread pudding and before we knew it, there it was in front of us, topped with spiced mascarpone and pistachios.

All the fresh produce used in the class was organic, the beef in the stew was grass fed from a local farmer, and actually everything, even the beverages, came from farms and brewhouses around the valley. It’s really something to know you are supporting the hard workers that live right next to you as you’re enjoying a delicious meal.

By the time we left, Ant and I were so full of food and inspiration. This wasn’t just a cooking class. We came home with recipes but more so, we left there even more motivated to cook with fresh, local, healthy ingredients.

If you live in the Phoenix area and you want to eat amazing food and enjoy great talk about the philosophy of eating/buying/supporting local farmers, be sure to check out one (or more) of Phoenix Public Market’s Chef Series. There are a few more of the Winter Chef Series and there’s talk of a Summer Series starting up next season. Maybe we’ll see you there!!

If you’re not in Phoenix and this interests you, I really encourage you to look into some local cooking classes, maybe through your farmer’s markets or grow houses.

Links to check out from this post:

Phoenix Public Market
Devour Phoenix
Winter Chef Series
The Parlor Pizzeria
Royal Coffee Bar

Hope you’re having a great day! Right now I’m blogging from Ella’s old school desk her papa gave her for Christmas! It feels like I’m back in college and I feel pretty productive from here in the corner of our front room! Ella’s watching Dinosaur Train and Poppers is napping. I think we’ll venture out for lunch sometime soon. Up next, I’ve got another doodly outfit post lined up! Have a fabulous Thursday, friends!

I heard her little feet shuffle out of her room just before I saw her toes peek around the hallway into the front room. Her bedtime music had stopped and “See? My eyes still aren’t closed.” She dawdled over to the sofa where I was attempting to crochet the day’s stresses away.

“Mama, I want to share a orange wiss you. You know? Sit on the fofa nexta you and eat it wiss you.”

“But Ella, it’s bedtime. We can share an orange in the morning, let’s go get back in bed.” I stood up and together, we both shuffled our way back down the hall.

And here began a mini battle over the orange we were meant to share at 9:30 at night. It was a battle between a slight little girl with heavy half-awake eyes and a frazzled mommy just eager for the day’s end. She wouldn’t back down about that orange and I couldn’t grasp the point of this battle we were engaged in.

THREE is . . . confusing. Trying. Frustrating. Challenging.

It is also so very rewarding and most often fun, but lately it seems that THREE is dishing us more of the above. The past few days have been rough.

Ella has owned her sass since the very day she turned two. She gave me a swift initiation into the “Terribles” and it was our hardest day to date. But it seems that more recently every tiny disagreement or conflict escalates into a full-fledged battle so quickly. Like this little story about the orange…

We walked back to her room, where Daddy sat on her bed ready to perform his nightly back-rub duties.

“But I juss want to share a orange!”

“Ella, I know you want to have an orange right now. But it’s bedtime right now. We will share one in the morning, at breakfast, okay?” I spoke slowly, if only to keep myself calm at this point. I was careful to acknowledge her want and offer an alternative.

This technique is something that seemed to come naturally when we first entered this battling phase. Conflict would arrive and I’d pull it from my parenting tool belt without even thinking. But somehow with time it’s been forgotten and too often replaced with impatience and blunt responses on my part.

The past few days have made me conscious to remember this tactic now, to keep it on hand at the front of my brain. It’s something I believe to be crucial in helping her understand her self-worth. I want her to know, always, that someone understands her predicament, that someone wants to help, and that right now and whenever she needs it to be, that someone is me. I’m realizing it is her first time being three, just as it’s my first time parenting a three year old. We’re both beginners here. We’re both discovering limits and testing out boundaries with one another. We’re in this experience together.

“We will share an orange at breakfast, alright?” I repeated as I pulled the covers up under her chin.

Her face grew confused, the corners of her mouth began to tug down just enough to weigh down my heart.

“But I said the wrong thing on accident. I don’ want a orange, I juss want a hug and a kiss.”

A hug and a kiss. Her go-to request when she realizes she’s pushed too far and wants to rectify all that’s gone wrong between her mommy and daddy and her.

It’s an acknowledgment and an apology and a dose of cute all in one, and when the phrase is spoken to Anthony or I, everything stops. She requests a hug and a kiss and she pulls the hand-brake and everything, suddenly, an in instant, comes to a halt. We melt a little, Anthony and I, and she’s in our arms that very second. Then just like that, with the flip of another switch, she’s running off to a new adventure.

She is seemingly unphased, but I carry the scenario with me until I am asleep in bed. I wonder if I could have prevented the conflict. Where I could have stopped it sooner. If she really is unphased, or if she is hiding it. Does she have the ability to hide her feelings at the age of three? Will she remember this next time we’re in a similar situation? Did she learn from this? And just as importantly, what did I learn from this?

Well I think I can say I am learning a lot, but very slowly…

We start each day fresh, with yesterday’s teachings under our belt. And we try to do better.

This is where we are. Right now, together.

All I can do is watch this magnificent tiny being as she fumbles around in this body, making her way in this world, completely and brazenly shaping mine. What a ride, my blondy-blue. Don’t ever stop molding and teaching me.

This outfit is from long before Thanksgiving, just after I received my new glasses from Warby Parker. They’re the first pair of specs I actually feel good about wearing! I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I’ve needed glasses for a long time. In college I had my eyes tested and picked out a pair of frames solely based on the ones my sister had recently gotten. Well, they looked awesome on her face, but not so much on mine. And so I refused to wear them. (Petty, I know.)

Fast forward a few years and out steps Warby Parker. Ant needed a new pair of glasses and when his five sample frames showed up in the mail, boy was I suddenly on the vision train. I pretty much hoarded his box of samples, trying them on every day until my own samples arrived. Funnily enough, the pair I picked came from Ant’s box of trials. (But not really shocking because I always end up wanting everything that he picks for himself – the man’s got good taste.)

Once my glasses arrived with my new prescription, a whole new world lay before me. It sounds corny but really! I had no idea the world was so clear! I can see the leaves sprouting on the tops of trees so crisp and clearly. I can read approaching street signs long before I could without glasses. One thing I knew after putting these magical lenses on my face – I couldn’t wait to see a movie.

So the evening of these photos, we were headed out for dinner and a movie. The movie we chose to see? Drive. Well, not the kind of picture you’d like to see crisp and clearly, but I did enjoy seeing The Gos’s face all nice and defined. (The Gos. Can we call him that? Okay yes. The Gos.)

At the time, the weather was just beginning to dip into chilly temperatures in the evenings and a scarf was all that we needed to feel just a tad of warmth. Coincidentally, that’s kind of where Phoenix is at the moment again. We’re living in Spring-like temperatures and while it is definitely gorgeous outside, I can’t help but feel the warning that triple digits are not too far away…

This is my go-to casual uniform. I love a basic white tee dressed up with a few accessories and fun shoes. I tend to only buy/acquire jewelry that holds sentimental value for me. I love this turquoise ring my dad gave me years ago and I’ve found that I regard it as a neutral piece, wearing with anything and everything, as often as I can. The silver band is understated on the outside, but there’s an inscription on the inside that reads, “It’s what’s inside that counts.”

And I think that’s a nice theme to strive for sometimes: It’s okay to appear understated, as long as there’s something that shines within.

From my closet:

Scarf // Target
Tee // Gap
Jeans // BDG via Urban Outfitters
Wedges // Blowfish Shoes
Specs // Warby Parker
Clutch // Charlotte Russe (about nine years ago!)
Silver band // Frances Vintage
Ring // from my dad

How about you? Do you have a go-to outfit that you’ll always feel good in?

Here’s to a fabulous rest of the week!
xoxo, Katy

Poppy was ready for her morning nap by the time we sat down for breakfast this morning. She sat wriggling in front of her scrambled eggs and apple chunks, periodically slamming the pieces to the floor, one at a time.

I tried to calm her and offer her breakfast straight from my hand, usually a sure method of delivery. But she wailed and swatted my hand aside.

That’s when the little apple-munching observer situated across from me chimed in:

“Poppy, you havva be grateful for what you have.”

“Hmmm?” I inquired just to hear her say it again.

“Poppy’s not bein’ grateful for what she has!”

My head fell to the side, my core melted, and my smile met hers, now bashful.

There are things you try to instill, and sometimes you just don’t know if the lesson has sunk in. In toddler life, at least as I’ve found with ours, heavy-handed topics are mostly bearable through quick and frequent mentions here and there. I can never be sure if those heavy notes have left a mark.

Until I hear it regurgitated through my tiny wonder of a child.

Then thoughtfully her observation comes to a close:

“Maybe Poppy don’t like the grateful…”