Hello everyone!  I hope your week is off to a lovely start!  Mine certainly is — I had such a sweet mother’s day on Sunday and I’m still beaming about it.

mother’s day 2013

We started the day at church and I served in the nursery.  There was a visiting family with a young boy (about 2 years old) and he initially had a hard time adjusting to the nursery, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.  He took to me for some reason and I spent most of the service just holding him.  He actually fell asleep in my arms (so sweet!!) and woke up content to spend the remaining time playing with Olive and his other nursery-mates.  It reminded me that although I am not his mother, I can nurture and love other children as my own.  For many years before I had Olive, I longed so much to be a mama.  I want to send a special encouragement to any of you out there who may be in that circumstance now.  I fervently pray that God will open the doors for you to become a mother soon, but urge you in the meanwhile to love on the kiddos around you in your life.  There’s lots of love to go around!

After service, I grabbed our customary Sunday lunch on the way home: In-N-Out burger, of course! We scarfed it down quickly since Olive had fallen asleep in the car, and then we drove out to the charming town of Los Olivos.  Erik took me to get my favorite Enjoy Cupcakes (yum!) and I devoured the pistachio lemon chardonnay + banana lemon creme treats.  We walked around a bit (truthfully we were just chasing Olive around town as she excitedly ambled about, greeting everyone in sight) but the unseasonable heat had us headed home early.  ;-)  We then spent some time browsing the aisles of Home Depot (hilarious, I know… We are both fixated on home stuff right now!) before having delicious Korean food for dinner.  Toward the end of the day, Erik had Olive hand me “her” mother’s day card.  Erik, being Erik, had helped her pick out a card that was for encouragement (not Mother’s Day…haha!) with a chihuaua and a dumbbell on the front.  Inside it said, “You’re stronger than you know.”  I just about died of laughter!  He also helped Olive write me a sweet note and she signed her name with her own hand.  I’m not gonna lie — I was impressed with her penmanship.  ;-)

photo via @enjoycupcakes on IG — love Amber & Kevin and their incredible cupcakes!

All in all I had a lovely day with my little family.  I got exactly what I had hoped for: some time out of the house with my two favorite people!

Before I sign out today, I wanted to share my excitement about my new bag.  I was on the hunt for a knitting bag but wanted something large enough to double as a travel tote or carry-on.  I discovered Piggledee on Etsy and followed the links to Asako’s blog.  I was instantly SMITTEN with her beautiful creations.  She makes backpacks, totes, knapsacks, zippered pouches and more, all using beautiful fabrics, many of them in quirky Japanese prints!  The bags can be used for tons of purposes, including cosmetic bags, travel bags, pencil cases, changing pads, washcloths, reusable lunch bags, diaper bags and more…  Although I’m not a cat person at all, I couldn’t resist the whimsical kitty print in grey for my big tote.  I also added a large zip pouch to use for cosmetics when I travel, and for my notions when I’m knitting.  ;-)  I found it hilarious that I was ordering a travel bag for my trip to Australia from a seller who is based in Sydney.  Oh, irony!  Asako is also a fellow Cal grad (Go Bears!); it was fun to learn we had so much in common!

I just received my bags yesterday and I couldn’t be more pleased with them.  They are well-made and beautifully constructed.  Asako herself was a pleasure to work with from start to finish, and her kind communication and speedy shipping were much appreciated.  I can’t wait to revisit her shop and pick up many more goodies in the future!  Today I am thrilled to giveaway TWO of her fabulous pouches!  The winner will win BOTH a large grey cat print zippered pouch, and a slightly smaller pink cat print pouch.

To enter:

1. Like Love and Splendor on Facebook
2. Comment below and let me know what you’d use the pouches for if you won!
3. If you follow this blog on Bloglovin’ and/or follow me on Instagram, mention it in the comment for extra entries (1 each).

You have until Thursday, May 16th at 9 p.m. PST to enter.  I’ll announce the winner this Friday, the 17th!

Thanks for stopping by; see you again soon!

Happy Mother’s Day!!  I originally just wanted to put up a brief post since it’s a Sunday, but I started typing and all of this just poured out.  ;-)  

my mom pregnant with me!

Motherhood has been an immense blessing in my life.  I feel incredibly humbled to have the responsibility and privilege of raising up my daughter.  From the pregnancy to the delivery, to those first whirlwind months to these most recent blissful days, I have soaked up every bit of this precious time in my life.  But what I’ve realized lately is that motherhood is forever…  It’s not just now, when my baby is still a baby, relying on me for her every need.  It’s five years from now, when I walk her to school and wave goodbye and try to hold it together.  It’s seven years from now when I comfort her after a hard day on the playground with not-so-friendly peers.  It’s ten years from now when she goes to junior high and asks me to wear mascara (and I say NO. haha).  It’s sixteen years from now when she graduates from high school and picks a college (not-so-secretly hoping she attends the alma mater of her parents, UC Berkeley).  It’s twenty-some years from now when she’s walking up the aisle on the arm of her father toward her future spouse.  It’s answering her questions about how to make that chicken dish or get that stain out or face the fear of childbirth…  It’s thirty, forty, fifty years from now when we spend moments together talking, reflecting, laughing, sharing life.  

How do I know this?  It’s because my mom was here this week and do you know what I saw?  She loved on my daughter, even spending most of one day babysitting her while I worked on a photoshoot.  She woke up early (even though she was OUR guest) to make us ridiculous breakfasts.  One morning Erik literally brought his plate out to me (I was still in the bedroom getting ready) to show me the beautifully presented meal she had prepared for him.  She dusted the stairs and mopped my kitchen even though I told her not to — she knew it would bless me and it did.  She made Olive baby food and put it in the fridge so I’d have it on hand for busy days ahead.  She brought me bags full of Korean groceries that I can’t get locally.  We stayed up late watching Korean dramas and planning for our trip  to New Zealand and Australia in a few weeks.  We had heartfelt conversations about the past and the future.  Multiple times this week I thought to myself, Wow, this is what it means to be a mother.

Growing up, my mom gave us the very best of everything she could.  We didn’t have much, but what we did have was disproportionately given to me and Anna.  She worked hard as a single mother to put herself through school, taking on multiple jobs at times to make ends meet.  There was a period that we were so poor that after paying all our bills she had $20 left for us to buy groceries each week.  We lived on fish sticks and macaroni and peanut butter sandwiches but I honestly can’t remember that.  I knew my mom loved me and that was what mattered.  When I was about 13 she started her own company and became a shining example of the American dream.  Although many people only know of my mom as a successful businesswoman, we had very humble beginnings.  Her road was paved with many difficult circumstances and situations. But despite her success, she still lavishes us with love and care and serves her family with passion. She is not above getting down on her hands and knees to clean or waking up early to cook if it’s for her family.  If Anna or I really needed something, there is nothing she wouldn’t do to help us get it.

on her wedding day in 2008 — photo by trista lerit

When I was a baby, my mom cloth-diapered me because she thought it was what was best, despite the extra work.  When I was five, she had already taught me to read and write and I skipped 2 grades because of her dutiful instruction.  When I was seven, she consoled me after hard days with not-so-nice kids.  She made me feel important.  She took me to Gap and bought me nice clothes off the sales rack because she didn’t want me to feel inferior to the other kids.  I was always well-dressed even if we were getting things on clearance.  When I was in junior high, she definitely didn’t let me wear mascara (although I sometimes used hers anyway!).  We prayed as a family every single night for most of my childhood — I will never forget listening to her heart-wrenching prayers as she cried out to God in our darkest hours.  When I was in high school, she gave me a crazy curfew and held her ground even though I whined about it, and it kept me out of trouble.  When I graduated from college, I moved away from home but she still called me daily and flew me home constantly when I was homesick.  She sent me extra money when I was foolish with my allowance.  She supported me when I married my college sweetheart at 21, even though she wasn’t ready to see me go.  She watched me struggle to get pregnant, cried with me when I had a miscarriage, and rejoiced with me when I finally conceived Olivia.  She answers my incessant phone calls about how to make her favorite dishes and how to wash delicate garments and how to soothe a teething baby.  She will never stop being my mother; she will never stop mothering.  You know what?  Through good times and bad (and trust me, there was a lot of both), my mom has always been unwavering in her devotion.  She loves fiercely.  She gives sacrificially.  She is servant-hearted.  As I now mark my 2nd Mother’s Day, I am reminded more than ever that I have a lot of room for growth.  I have a lot I can learn from her example.  I can excel still more.

circa 2001 — high school senior or college freshman

Umma — Thank you for being an amazing mommy.  I could never fully & adequately thank you for your love, sacrifice, wisdom, encouragement, support, and advice over the years.  Your love for me is humbling and when I consider everything you’ve done for me, and still do for me, I am moved to tears.  I know what it means to love sacrificially because I have watched you love me and Anna through the years.  Even when we have been unlovable, you have loved us.  You deserve to be praised in the gates (Proverbs 31:31).  I hope to be as devoted a mother to Olive as you have been to me.  I love you with all my heart and I thank God that you are my mommy (and Olive’s halmunee).

mom and a 3-month old Olive — photo by Ryan Ray

I also want to take a moment to send love & appreciation to my mother-in-law, Delores, who is a such a charming, vivacious and loving woman.  I have known her for 10 years and she has treated me like family from day 1.  Thank you for raising Erik to be an amazing husband to me and father to Olivia.  <3  And thank you for all of your love and support through the years!  I am blessed to have you in my life!!!

To all my mama friends (in real life and on the web!): I am grateful to be surrounded by so many wise and loving mamas.  It is such a joy to walk this journey alongside you & I thank God for your examples and encouragement!

Today I’m starting my day at church and then will see where Erik takes us!  I honestly don’t care where we go or what we do, as long as I’m with my little family.  :)  Thank you for letting me share a bit of my heart today; see you again soon!

Happy Friday!!  It has been a *full* week for me and I hope all of you are doing well!  I thought I’d share some snapshots from the week of what I’ve been up to…

I worked on a lovely + romantic shoot at Justin Vineyards + Winery with a phenomenal team that included Allyson Magda, Casa de Perrin, Adornments, Laura Hooper Calligraphy, La Tavola Linen, Kirstie Kelly, Jess Wilcox and the lovely Leila from Be Inspired PR.

I went and got one of those drive-in carwashes and it was simultaneously terrifying and serene.  I think I need a re-do now that I can anticipate the ‘action’ and enjoy it a bit more…

My mom came to town and brought me bags and bags of Korean groceries and homemade banchan (side dishes).  Soo blessed!

And my heart exploded a dozen times as I witnessed these two sharing moments together.  They have a connection that is just so sweet to witness.

I saw this marvelous sunset in Paso Robles and was reminded of what an artist my great God is.

I chowed down on some oysters + sushi!

… and had the loveliest lunch at Thomas Hill Organics that included this kale salad and a delectable goat cheese sandwich with strawberry-beet jam, kumquats and basil!

And best of all, I giggled a lot with this girl…  This was during bathtime antics with Daddy.  Yes, I still bathe her in our kitchen sink (it’s big) because it is a lot easier than getting down on the ground on the tile bathroom floor!  ;-)

It was a sweet week indeed!  My weekend will include some client consultations, a quick visit with friends, and of course, my 2nd Mother’s Day!  (You can see a glimpse of my 1st mother’s day with a tiny 2 month old Olive here.)  I’m truly grateful for my precious little family.  Becoming a mother has been an amazing journey marked by so much personal growth.  I want to send my love and encouragement to all the moms out there; you are amazing and I hope you feel especially blessed this weekend!  See you next week!

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know I love to knit.  It is easily one of my favorite hobbies, and I love to spend spare time with my needles and a beautiful skein of yarn, creating pretty things for my Olive.  What you may not know, however, is that I am still a very novice knitter.  I am so humbled by the encouragement I’ve received but wanted to share just how far I’ve come and how much I’ve progressed in a short time.  Knitting seemed so daunting last fall, and now I am a confident, ambitious knitter… ready to tackle almost any project I dream up.  :-)

a special fair isle sweater for my Olive

I didn’t grow up knitting or sewing or doing anything remotely domestic, to tell you the truth.  I was consumed with my studies and my social life and I didn’t have anyone around me to teach me the domestic arts, if you will.  I jokingly tell people that I was raised by a very independent single (at the time) mother and now I’ve made up for it by reverting to a total 50′s housewife.  haha!  All kidding aside, I did find myself married at 21, fresh out of Berkeley armed with two impressive degrees, yet completely unable to run a household, grocery shop, or cook a proper meal from scratch (sorry Erik, for all the raw-in-the-middle and burnt-to-a-crisp chickens I served you that first year of marriage!!).  There was a part of me that really yearned to not only learn those skills, but master them.  I desired to be an amazing chef, a skilled seamstress, and an efficient manager of the home.  In pursuing them, I feel like I’ve really discovered a dormant part of my creative self.  As I discovered little successes along the way, I found such a joy and fulfillment.  Now there are few things I relish more than being in the kitchen in the late afternoons, chopping and stirring and creating delicious and healthy meals for my family.  When I sewed all of Olive’s bedding before she was born, I felt like I had painted the Sistene Chapel.  I couldn’t believe that I did it.  I used my two hands to make something.  It was worth it.

So last fall, I casually told Erik that I wanted to learn to knit.  I had seen some other friends around me begin to knit, and I wanted to acquire another craft that could be equal parts hobby and productive pursuit.  Knitting is relaxing in and of itself, but I like that after putting in the time, you end up with a tangible product.  My mind was spinning with the things I wanted to make!  After mentioning my desire to a few church ladies, they encouraged me to call a local yarn shop about lessons.  It turns out that the store has classes 6 days a week, on a drop-in basis.  You come in and the teacher will show you what to do, and then assist you on whatever project you bring in that day.  I still remember my first day in class, and how intimidated I was by the ladies sitting around the table, proficiently knitting and purling, with beautiful shawls and scarves growing from their needles.  I remember how I worked so slowly, asking my sweet teacher to show me again and again and again.  I remember taking this picture and posting it on Instagram, and being SO proud of my first few rows of knitting.

the first and last time i used bamboo needles ;-)

Well I kept going to class, week after week.  At that time, Olive would sleep in her carrier the entire length of class (2 hours) and I could get a great session in.  As she grew older and more mobile, the ladies encouraged me to keep coming and they would take turns playing with her while I knit.  Now I am still going to class 1x a week, sometimes 2x if I’m not too busy, and Erik will watch Olive so I can really get down to business.  Other than my time in class, I probably knit 30 minutes or less a day.  But in those stolen moments, I have been able to produce some projects that I’m truly proud of.  I have tackled fair isle (my favorite!), lace patterns, seaming, button holes, knitting in the round, hats, scarves of all kinds, sweaters, vests, ponchos and booties!  I enjoy learning a new skill with every pattern I take on.  I love my afternoons with the sweet ladies in my knitting group.  I am endlessly thankful for my patient teacher who has literally taught me everything I know.  ;-)

Erik now admits that he had no idea how serious I was about wanting to learn to knit; it has become a passion of mine and I am so glad I took the leap to learn!

SO fun to look back at some of my projects over the last 8 months

New skills I hope to add to my repertoire soon include cables, intarsia, and felting.  If you are a knitter (or crocheter), you can find me on Ravelry (login required).  Otherwise, I look forward to sharing my projects here and on Instagram.

Is there anything YOU want to learn to do (or learn to do better)??  Let me know in the comments… Let’s encourage each other to make it happen this year!

Although I am blessed to have a very flexible day-to-day schedule, making the distinction between weekday and weekend less prominent, I still get excited when Saturday morning rolls around…  I want to chop and blend and bake a fancy breakfast!  And blow dry my hair!  I just get an extra boost of energy for errands and adventures.  And if I’m honest, most errands feel like adventures because I get to go out!  :)  This weekend’s project includes massive office organization, and I am excited to purge old files, buy pretty new storage totes and folders, and create a more tranquil workspace!

Our cherished friends Cary & Ryan Ray are in town so we have loved hanging with them (Olive especially)!  With their visit and lots of wedding work, I didn’t get to post as much this week.  Looking forward to diving back in next week!  Thank you for stopping by — I hope you have an amazing weekend!  xoxo

P.S. photo above is of the newest tunic top/vest I knitted for Olive.  You can see her modeling it on my Instagram!  xoxo, Angel

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you all took a peek at Olive’s 1st bash on 100 Layer Cakelet yesterday.  Today I’m back with more details + pics of a truly special day for our family!

Most of you know that our darling Olive was a long-awaited child so we knew we wanted to celebrate her 1st birthday in style!  In the Korean culture, the 1st birthday is traditionally a momentous and grand occasion, and many families throw lavish parties to herald it.  Since I am half Korean (and Olive is only 1/4 Korean), we went with an in-between celebration: plenty of details to make it feel special but with a casual vibe to still feel like a children’s party.

Our initial venue was on the beach, so we started out with a watery palette of blues. Although we ended up moving the party to another location, we stuck with that original seaside inspiration.  The party integrated soft shades of pool, sky, and aqua blue, along with complementary shades of mint, peach, and coral.  Gold was a subtle accent.  The lovely and talented Chelsea Petaja of Oh My Deer Handmades designed the beautiful invitations using swashes of watercolor and floral accents. Envelope liners featured a distressed scalloped pattern reminiscent of fish scales. Tied up in twine and sent off in kraft envelopes with white calligraphy, the invites set the tone for what was to come.

Franklin Canyon Park is a hidden gem tucked away off Mulholland in Beverly Hills, and their auditorium was a great blank canvas to work with.  We dressed regular banquet tables in various shades of blue + aqua linens from La Tavola Linen, and set them with playful pink and blue goblets from the fabulous Casa de Perrin.  Their pink swirl luncheon plates and gold flatware completed the ladylike placesettings. Luscious springtime florals were created by our dear friend Jaclyne from Heavenly Blooms Designs.  The featured flora included garden roses, poppies and anenomes.  I had collected an assortment of vintage bottles and modern vessels to use on the tables, along with some ocean-inspired decor like a glass fish terrarium vase and a classic white Shreve, Crump and Low gurgling cod pitcher.  My husband and I also made 7 lovely papier mâché boats using the lovely Ann Wood’s paper boat tutorial and we hung them up behind the dessert table.

I needed an excuse to pick up a Confetti System fringe garland so the party was the perfect justification!  We hung up the perfectly-hued garland over a lounge area created by {found} rentals, using their amazing vintage furniture, ottomans, and cozy quilts and pillows.

I wanted to provide lunch that was going to be appealing for all of our guests, which included vegans, vegetarians, paleo-dieters and omnivores alike.  I had a wonderful experience with catering through one of my favorite LA chains, Lemonade LA.  Their seasonal offerings were beautiful and scrumptious and we had rave reviews from everyone!  I went with five beloved marketplace offerings (including their watermelon radish ahi salad, Israeli couscous and mushrooms, curried cauliflower), lots of fresh seared ahi, buttermilk battered chicken, and of course their refreshing watermelon rosemary lemonade!  My mom and I also prepped lots of seasonal fruit, along with pouches from Ella’s Kitchen (our fav!) for Olive’s friends.

As a prelude to the sweet treats to come, I prepared a candy display with all of my favorite Asian sweets including Pocky and Milky.  They looked perfect on the round display from {found} and guests tucked their treats into hand-watercolored muslin bags I prepared!

I left the actual desserts to the experts, so we had Melody from Sweet and Saucy Shop create the beautiful cake (with rock sugar “sea glass”) along with mini desserts like candy bar cupcakes and passion fruit panna cotta.  As an extra sweet surprise, I had Geri from Sweet Lucie’s bring her party cart for our guests, and they served up three flavors of their amazing organic ice cream: pistachio, strawberry mint lemonade sorbet, and my special request of bananas foster: banana ice cream with caramel swirl and toasted almonds!!!

Perhaps the biggest hit of the party was the “bubbleologist” from Bubblemania and Company.  They were amazing to work with from start to finish.  Jilbert was our performer that day and he was INCREDIBLE.  Check out my faces in the photos… I think it’s plain to see that I was his biggest fan.  His fun show kept everyone entertained — he was funny, educational, friendly and a consummate professional. After his magical show (which concluded with him putting willing volunteers into giant bubbles!), he had set up equipment in the courtyard for the kids to play with themselves.  It made me so happy to see everyone rush out there to take their turn with the big wands and toys.

The afternoon ended with a slideshow that Erik put together.  It chronicled my entire pregnancy (from announcing it, to a montage of me growing everyday, to the parents  to the delivery room!) a well as Olive’s first year.  It was definitely a tear-jerker and was the perfect ending to a lovely day.

We were so blessed by everyone who came out to celebrate Olive with us! The day flew by but we are grateful for the gorgeous photos captured by Courtney of Erin Hearts Court; we will cherish them forever!!

Okay… now on to more photos!!  :)  Here are lots and lots (and lots) of photos from the beautiful day.

Again, a million thanks to the people who made this day a reality…  I cannot say enough about each of these artists and purveyors of fabulous wares.  I am blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people in this industry!

• planning, styling & design: Love and Splendor (www.loveandsplendor.com)
• photography: Erin Hearts Court (www.erinheartscourt.com)
• invitation: Chelsea Petaja (www.ohmydeerhandmades.com)
• floral design: Heavenly Blooms (www.heavenlybloomsdesigns.com)
• china + glassware + flatware: Casa de Perrin (www.casadeperrin.com)
• vintage furniture: {found} vintage rentals (www.foundrentals.com)
• ghost chair rental: Chiavari Chair Rentals (www.chiavarichairrentals.com)
• catering: Lemonade LA (www.lemonadela.com)
• cake + desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop (www.sweetandsaucyshop.com)
• organic ice cream: Sweet Lucie’s (www.ilovelucies.com)
• linens: La Tavola Fine Linen (www.latavolalinen.com)
• bubble entertainment: Bubblemania and Company (www.bubblemaniaandcompanyla.com)
• fringe garland: Confetti System (www.confettisystem.com)
• gold letter banner: Mint Loves Social Club (www.etsy.com/shop/MintLoveSocialClub )
• my hair and makeup: Fiore Beauty (www.fiorebeauty.com)
• venue: Rosenfeld Auditorium + Courtyard at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills, CA (www.lamountains.com/planning_franklin.html

I have one final post about Olive’s party that I’ll share sometime next week or so.  It will focus on the planning process and my tips & lessons learned from the big day! Also in the posting queue: Olive’s 13 month update (by popular demand, they’re continuing!), a wedding post, and another installment of {the nuptial primer}.

Hope you all have a marvelous weekend!!  xoxo, Angel

Our Olive is 1.  No surprise here, you guys knew that already.  ;-)  But, I have been dying to share photos from her 1st bash with all of you and today I can!  We are so thrilled and honored to have Olive’s 1st birthday party featured on 100 Layer Cakelet today. The site is spinoff from the fabulous ladies behind 100 Layer Cake, so you know it’s wonderful.  It’s a great place to be inspired by great parties, showers, family photos & children’s lifestyle posts — check it out!!

photo by Erin Hearts Court

Check it out on 100 Layer Cakelet today (and leave us some love there!), but I’ll be back tomorrow with all of my mommy details and some behind-the-inspiration.

As always, it took a village!  Many thanks to the amazing friends + vendors who made this special day for my family come to life…

• planning, styling & design: Love and Splendor (www.loveandsplendor.com)
• photography: Erin Hearts Court (www.erinheartscourt.com)
• invitation: Chelsea Petaja (www.ohmydeerhandmades.com)
• floral design: Heavenly Blooms (www.heavenlybloomsdesigns.com)
• china + glassware + flatware: Casa de Perrin (www.casadeperrin.com)
• vintage furniture: {found} vintage rentals (www.foundrentals.com)
• ghost chair rental: Chiavari Chair Rentals (www.chiavarichairrentals.com)
• catering: Lemonade LA (www.lemonadela.com)
• cake + desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop (www.sweetandsaucyshop.com)
• organic ice cream: Sweet Lucie’s (www.ilovelucies.com)
• linens: La Tavola Fine Linen (www.latavolalinen.com)
• bubble entertainment: Bubblemania and Company (www.bubblemaniaandcompanyla.com)
• fringe garland: Confetti System (www.confettisystem.com)
• gold letter banner: Mint Loves Social Club (www.etsy.com/shop/MintLoveSocialClub )
• venue: Rosenfeld Auditorium + Courtyard at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills, CA (www.lamountains.com/planning_franklin.html

See you tomorrow!!  xoxo, Angel

Hello everyone!!  I hope you had a great weekend.  :)  We definitely did, with a quick trip to visit family and celebrate our nephew’s 5th birthday.  Olive had the best time trying to run after the “big kids” — the excitement certainly wore her out!

I’m excited to announce that the winner of the Casa de Perrin giveaway is Selena — congratulations!  I sent you an email already.  ;-)  Thank you to everyone else who entered; I have more fun giveaways in the works so stay tuned.  I am grateful to each of you who takes the time to visit this blog, and your comments mean so much to me!  xo

Today I wanted to share some sweet photos of me and my Olive, taken by my generous friend Cameron Ingalls.  You might have seen a handful of them in my Wedding Standard interview, but there were many more I just had to post.  A million thanks to Cameron for taking these photos, which were snapped in under 30 minutes on a random weekday afternoon.  I will always cherish these precious images!!

Thank you again to my friend Cameron Ingalls for shooting these wonderful photos! Olive is changing so much these days and I am grateful for these moments frozen in time.

Olive’s dress + sandals are from Zara Baby.

Hope your week is off to a great start!  xoxo, Angel

It is absolutely surreal to be writing this final installment of Olive’s monthly updates.  My goal all along has been to simply note all of the special moments and milestones during Olive’s 1st year of life.  I am SO glad I took the time to do this, as I still enjoy looking back at the old entries!  I haven’t decided how I will continue to chronicle Olive’s milestones… whether monthly or more sporadically.  Any thoughts??  :)

In the meanwhile, I’ve continued taking her picture every Monday and plan to do so until she refuses to cooperate.  haha  She’s getting harder to corral with each passing day! Olive’s 12th month was the most explosive and exciting in terms of her growth and maturation.  Here are the highlights  from month 12…

• Olive weighed 18 lbs and 8 oz at her 1 year checkup, and measured 29.5″ long.  She barely cried at her shots — what a brave girl!
• She’s walking!!  Olive took her first steps on Valentine’s Day (2/14) at home, in our bedroom.  It was a little before bedtime and I was getting her changed into pajamas when she teetered out 3 or 4 steps.  It was so quick I almost didn’t know if it “counted.”  The next day (2/15) we got up to 30 consecutive steps.  Her swift progress was probably due to my  friendly encouragement…hehe.  I spent the morning cajoling her with toys as she chased me around the kitchen island.  :)  Now she is walking about 95% of the time, only opting to crawl while maneuvering under tables and such.  I am LOVING her newfound mobility.  Watching her amble around the house is beyond cute because she’s still so teensy!
• She is chatting up a storm!  Olive’s current vocabulary has expanded to include: up (to be picked up or thrown in the air by Dada), go (to be pushed on her little toy car), wawa (water), Jetta (her friend in the church nursery) and thank you!  “Thank you” is by far her best phrase; she says it very clearly!  We worked with her on it for weeks and weeks in preparation for her birthday.  Now she will say it, unprompted, anytime someone hands her something.  It is wildly cute and I think I have to post a video sharing it with you all sometime soon!!  :)  She is babbling most of the day and we can’t wait to decode more of her developing language.
• Olive’s new “tricks” include hugging & kissing on command (only Mama and Dada, of course!).  It melts our heart!  Erik tells me not to abuse it but I can’t help but request 100s of kisses from her daily.
• We celebrated my (29th) birthday with Kristin & Sisi and Trista & Evie, as well as Aunt Anna, at Chateau Brodard.  Yum!
• We found ourselves in the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings Spring/Summer 2013 issue!  Aunt Anna and Uncle Sean had their wedding featured in the magazine and they included a photo of our little family!
• We celebrated Olive’s 1st birthday a few days early (on the 9th) in Beverly Hills with lots of friends.  You will be seeing all the details behind her party in the weeks ahead, so keep an eye out.  For now, let me just say it was a marvelous day and we felt surrounded by so much love!

I think that’s it for now!  The month was full of preparation for her parties (she actually had two… the 2nd one took place after her birthday, though!) so we didn’t have too many other big adventures.  Life has been very very sweet and I am thankful to the Lord for sustaining Olive during her 1st year of life.

Dearest Olive, Your first year of life has been the best one of mine.  I love having our birthdays so close together, because with each passing year I can be reminded of the gift you are to me.  We give all thanks and glory to God for your health + vibrance this 1st year…  It has been an amazing learning experience watching you grow and as I survey our first year together, I am taken aback by how quickly it flew by.  I have loved every second of being your mama and I cannot wait for the future ahead.

I pray that as you continue to mature and grow, I would model to you what it means to walk in grace and live a life that honors our Savior.  I will always do my best to teach and instruct you with wisdom and gentleness, and demonstrate love and patience in all that I say and do.  We are so blessed to have Daddy, too.  He is an incredible man of God and I look forward to watching you two develop your own special relationship over the years to come.  

You bless me everyday with your simple displays of affection and joy.  I feel my heart swell everytime we are giggling together (multiple times daily) and sometimes I don’t know if I can contain all of my love for you!  But may I always point you to Jesus, the creator and author of love.  His love is the ultimate love, and I hope you come to know it at a young age.

Olive, I have loved you since I learned of your existence in my womb in June 2011.  When I became pregnant, I dreamed about what you’d be like… what we would do together… how you would smile and laugh.  And now, to have known you for a year, to have borne witness to your beautiful face and to have heard you giggle and squeal and say “mama”… Oh my heart overflows.  You are no small miracle.  You are a treasured gift, baby girl.  And I love you.  Always.   You may not remember any of this first year, but I hope that you will enjoy reading these monthly installments one day.  Trust me when I say, this year was a great one.  Love, Mama

Here’s our monthly photo highlights mosaic…

Thank you to each of you who have followed along my first year of motherhood!  I feel blessed to have shared so many wonderful moments here, from the announcement of my pregnancy to this very post.  I appreciate each of you who take the time to read along! Enjoy this beautiful day!!

xoxo, Angel

Hey everyone!  It’s Wednesday and for the past three days I’ve felt this need to post… I know I need to finish Olive’s 12 month post, I have a handful of wedding features waiting in the wings, and yet, I continue to find myself curled up in bed each evening, putting off the post until the next day.  ;-)  It’s the everyday mom tasks that have kept me busy lately, and I don’t mind it one bit.  I truly savor those little ordinary jobs that make up my daily routine.

yesterday, just hanging out on the balcony :)

I typically wake up around 7:30 a.m., or whenever my little Olive decides it is time to greet the day.  I still love to bring her to bed for 30 minutes of snuggling in the morning, and she loves it too.  ;-)  Then we both get dressed, I give her a bath and we play until 10/10:30a when it’s time for her first nap.

I usually spend her morning nap working on emails + calls for my clients.  I am thrilled about the clients we have this year: I am blessed daily by the sweet, creative, wonderful people with whom I get to work!  It is a great ‘break’ to get my inspiration going and work on planning & designing for my couples.  Before I know it, Olive is up and we’re in the kitchen.  These days she is running around the kitchen island, blabbing about who knows what, and here and there I’ll catch a familiar word like “wawa” (water), “baby” (herself, or one of her dolls), and most frequently, “Dada.”  I often narrate my cooking like a Food Network show for an audience of one.  I’m sure it sounds hilarious but Olive is always quite captivated.  ;-)  We are so fortunate to have Erik home for lunch almost everyday.  She hears the gate open when he arrives and she instantly runs to the top of the stairs, waiting for him at the baby gate.  Today we enjoyed turkey + bacon + avocado sandwiches.  Olive loves the bacon best.  :)

After lunch, Olive and I will run errands (the market, the farm, the bank, the post office, etc.) and then we return home just in time for her 2nd nap.  I know we are lucky to still have her napping twice a day!  Hopefully she’ll hang on to it for a bit longer… I’m not ready for only one nap!  haha  I spend the afternoon tidying around the house and doing a bit more work, and then she’s up and we’re back in the kitchen, whipping up dinner.  Tonight I made a hearty lasagna.  I think if you marry a (half-) Italian, you sort of have to learn to make a delicious lasagna.  Rite of passage.  ;-)  Now the house smells like basil and oregano and rich tomatoes and garlic and I can’t wait for dinnertime.

Nothing too exciting.  Nothing glamorous.  Just a simple, lovely, precious day with the ones I love.  I think that 17-year-old Angel would’ve thought a day like this sounded boring.  Mostly at home, mostly with a baby in tow, mostly with a messy pony tail.  But you know what?  I thank God everyday for my ordinary life.  I have been blessed with so many extraordinary opportunities, experiences, and relationships.  And now I get to explore and enjoy the role of mother, along with wife + event designer.  I seek to love sincerely, word heartily, share openly, give freely, live simply.  I have abundantly more than I could ever dream of; my cup overflows.  Thank you, Lord, for my everyday.  I love my ordinary.

xoxo, Angel