My little doll is 14 months old and I can hardly believe it!  Her “monthday” was on Mother’s Day and as we drove around town on our family adventure, I kept thinking of how quickly time is flying by.  I remember being pregnant and seeing my friends with 10 month olds, 1 year olds, 18 month olds.  I thought that was such a loooong way off for me.  Well here we are!  It is true that as each month goes by, things get sweeter.  I just love witnessing Olive grow and learn before my very eyes.  But I won’t lie… With so many of my friends pregnant with their #2s right now, I can’t say I haven’t wished for a sibling for Olivia.  Join us as we pray for that!!

Here are the highlights from month 14 with our baby girl:

• We celebrated our nephew Alejandro’s 5th birthday in Pasadena, and Olive  had so much fun chasing the “big kids” around!
• Uncle Ryan Ray and Auntie CC were in town and we had a great time catching up with them!  She loves them both so much and we wish they lived next door.  I can’t stop daydreaming about a trip to Texas to see them…
• I can feel more teeth coming in (those dreaded first year molars) and know they will be here SOON… But no actual new breakthroughs before her 14-monthday (hint hint).
• Grandpa Paul (my dad) came to visit and we continued with our traditional southern breakfasts when he’s in town.  :)  When I was growing up, my Dad would take me out for southern breakfasts at the now defunct Po’ Folks Restaurant in Buena Park (near Knott’s Berry Farm… does anyone remember it??), or Johnny Reb’s or George’s 50′s diner (I knew it as Terry’s growing up, but George was the cook back then and now he owns the place!  So cool!) in Long Beach.  Breakfasts were our “thing” and I always wanted pork chops or chipped beef for breakfast… with a large chocolate milk.  ;-)  I love that we are continuing to share special indulgent breakfasts with Olive, although she’s sticking with pancakes, eggs and bacon for now.  My Dad always wants to spoil Olive rotten so I do my best to hold him back.  It does melt me, though, watching him push her through Target and ask her, “Do you want this one?  Do you like this dolly, Olive?” and then trying to convince me that she really wanted that one, and he can tell because she pointed at it and said “baby!”  haha
• We visited beautiful Justin Winery in Paso Robles to prepare for a photo shoot, and returned a week later for the shoot!  Olive loved running throughout the Chateau and courtyard.
• Erik went on a backpacking trip near Big Sur (Salmon Creek) and Olive and I had a little mommy-daughter weekend, visiting the farm, binging on berries, reading the same books over and over, and cuddling together.
• We learned that cardboard boxes are the best toys.
• Halmunee (‘Grandma’ in Korean: my mom) came to visit and we had such a lovely time!!  She made Olive lots of food and doted on her for days.  They have such a sweet bond and it is heartwarming to watch them together.  I kind of died over the sight of them both in their straw hats at lunch one day!  (see below) Although my mom was here as our guest, it humbled me to see how much I still can use her help.  She was a great blessing to us while she was here!
• Olive’s 14th month-day coincided with Mother’s Day.  After church, we visited Los Olivos (and Enjoy Cupcakes) and then took a leisurely trip to Home Depot.  haha! Olive’s favorite part of the day was running free up and down the wide aisles — the girl LOVES wide open spaces.
• She continues to chat up a storm and I am surprised daily when she clearly repeats or articulates some new word.  Her current vocab includes about 20 words and the new ones this month are: puppy, flower, cookie, cracker, and “A-B-C-D”.  We’ve been showing her alphabet flashcards for months but only recently have we tried singing her the alphabet song on a regular basis.  She sometimes says “A-B-B-D” but I’m gonna count it.  ;-)
• She’s an expert climber and has now wriggled her way up onto the couch, although she still prefers to be helped up.

It was a busy month with more guests but we truly love hosting friends & family here!  Now we are full-speed ahead into the next month and I know it will be an unforgettable one…

Dearest Olive,

I used to tell you “slow down” as in, “don’t grow up too quickly.”  Now I just mean, “slow down!” literally.  ;-)  You are a boundless bundle of energy.  Halmunee jokingly said we’re in trouble because you have both verbal energy (our little chatterbox) and physical energy.  One thing is for sure: we are in for a lot of excitement with you around.  I thank God everyday that you are healthy, active, and joyful.  I don’t want to take that for granted.  I am grateful for your kindness to friends and strangers alike; it still cracks me up to see you waving at people while we’re shopping.  You won’t stop waving and smiling until you’re acknowledged.  I pray you always have a warm and inviting demeanor, spreading love wherever you go.  Everyday with you is a gift and we love chasing after you.  That doesn’t mean we aren’t going to work on teaching you to “come” when called, though (because it’s on the list this month, seriously…haha).  I just love watching your beautiful spirit blossom.  You know, Daddy and I prayed and prayed for just one little baby for so long.  I feel selfish now, so blessed with you (oh lovely YOU), still praying for more kiddos.  Even if we never have another baby, you will be more than enough.  You have been the answer to our prayers and deep desires and you are more than we could have dreamed of.  Until God blesses us with another (and even if He never chooses to do so), we will cherish every precious moment with you.  We love you, baby girl… more than you know.  Love, Mommy

And here is our 14-month photo recap:

I hope you are all having a great start to your week!  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Friday, everyone!!  I want to start off by congratulating REGINA, as the winner of the Piggledee pouches!  Check your email so I can get your prize to you!  Thank you everyone else for entering.  I wish I could give each of you a pair of these darling pouches, but make sure to check out Asako’s Etsy shop if you want to pick up some of your own.  I truly love mine.

This week has been a blur of errands, emails and appointments!  One thing that remains constant, however, is Olive’s current obsession with reading.  I hope her love of books is more than a stage, of course!  It’s just that these days, she can’t get enough of them.  She is constantly bringing me (and Erik ) various books to read to her.  I love when she waddles over to me and plops herself on my lap, snuggles in, and looks up at me as if to say, “Okay already, are you going to get to it??”  Her current favorites include Let’s Dance, Little Pookie, Mister Seahorse, and Puppies… which is really a picture book with a bunch of dog photos!  haha  In Puppies, there is a tiny maltese named Toby and whenever we get to his page, Olive leans forward and plants a kiss on him!  Melt my heart!!  I think Erik knows that a maltese puppy is in the future one Christmas ahead… ;-)  Although I’m sure I sound and look hilarious while I’m reading aloud to Olive, it is absolutely worth it.  I love getting into character and watching her eyes widen and her face crinkle up in delight as I read to her.  I’m never going to be too old or too busy to get silly with my little girl!

 Does anyone else know the Pookie Shimmy??  I feel like I sing it 10x a day!

I have a lot of half-written posts in the queue so I will be spending some time this weekend preparing posts for next week.  Remaining consistent with my blog posts is a big goal, so I truly appreciate all of you who stop by to read and comment.  ;-)  In addition to writing, my weekend will consist of purging & organizing my closets (a LOT more to sell on @shopangelscloset on Instagram, if you’re interested), having a Skype consultation with some potential clients, and swinging by Barnes & Noble to read up on our fast-approaching trip down under.  So excited!!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, whether restful, productive, or both!  See you next week with Olive’s 14-month post and more.  ;-)

The past week has been intensely busy!  I can’t share all the reasons for that yet (soon!!) but trust me when I say, it has been hard to come up for air around here!  That said, I feel like I have been busy with only good things lately.  From visiting friends & family to new clients and site visits, I am enjoying every active moment!  We all know there is good-busy and bad-busy.  I pray that I will always be busying myself with the worthy things — the valuable things & reasons for which I expend my energy, my resources, my heart.  First God, then family, then everything else.  :)  Always.

This past weekend, Erik went away on a little backpacking trip.  He and two elders from our church went up to Salmon Creek, near Big Sur, and hiked up into the forest and stayed overnight.  (Looking forward to joining him next time — we can’t wait to take Olive on camping adventures later this year!)  Olive and I kept busy to distract us from missing him.  (It didn’t work, but we tried!)  As I was tidying up in the kitchen, I looked over to see that Olive had crawled into a box (it was from the camping gear Erik received earlier that week).  She was clearly pleased with herself, just grinning and giggling in her cardboard “boat.”  She got in and out of that box a dozen times, bringing small items (like my belt and her dolls some passengers) with her on each re-entry.  I had to grab my phone and snap a few pics.  It was just too adorable!!

Olive has been climbing into her toy box for a few weeks now, but the cardboard box seemed like a unique milestone in and of itself.  Don’t they say that boxes make the best toys??  I hope to nurture Olive’s imaginative play and look forward to sharing lots of adventures with her in the future…

And oh yes, Erik did return safely.  ;-)  He came back clutching a bunch of beautiful wildflowers he had picked for me on the trail.  He said he had to carry them for over an hour before they got back to the car!

I’m grateful to have him home, and grateful for a husband who still believes in romantic surprises.  :)

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!  I’m off to prep for a visit from my mom (yay!) and a fun project tomorrow.  I’ll be back again soon; there are some really exciting posts in the queue so stay tuned!

These monthly updates look like they’re here to stay!  ;-)  I was so touched by your words of encouragement here and on Facebook after the 12 month post, and am glad to know that you guys enjoy reading Olive’s updates.  Month 13 flew right by and Olive is developing quite the personality! She is such a cheerful, sociable girl and continues to charm strangers everywhere we go.

Here are the sweet memories that marked Olive’s 13th month of life…

• Olive definitely has an adventurous spirit, on display anytime she is free to roam (aka run and climb) at home or in public.  Erik taught her to climb our stairs (we have sixteen) and she can scale them in seconds.  It is incredible!  No spills yet… but rest assured we only allow her on the stairs when we are directly behind her supervising the climbing.  ;-)
• Olive is extremely vocal and I am amazed by her ability to pick up new words and phrases after hearing them only a couple of times.  It is so fascinating to watch her little mind mature and develop!  A favorite word of mine is “clean.”  Whenever we say it, she picks up her toys and puts them into her toybox, and then immediately claps to applaud her obedience.  It is hilarious!
• Her favorite foods include buttered peas, bacon, eggs (scrambled), most forms of bread/tortillas/Cheerios (I tried to hold out on refined carbs but she just loves them… hard to blame her!), and my green smoothies!
• We held another birthday party for Olive on 3/17 for our church family.  It took place at a dear friend’s country home and was so lovely.  I reused a lot of the décor from the big party, kept the menu simple with yummy pizzas and a salad, and got a beautiful cake + cupcakes from Enjoy Cupcakes.  I am truly grateful for our wonderful local church and how they have surrounded our family with so much love and encouragement.
• We attended the 1st birthday party of Olive’s friend-from-the-womb Blake — daughter of Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop.  I am so blessed to have Mel and many other cherished mommy friends in my life.  We had a wonderful time!
• I took Olive to her first Love & Splendor meetings (by very special request of the clients! NOT de rigueur for me…).  Olive was completely cooperative and loved meeting my clients (watching her with them melted my heart all day) as well as the staff at the three properties we toured.  At each stop, she was given toys, books, smoothies, and of course lots of attention!  I was so impressed by the special care given to her and it reaffirmed my belief that excellent client care goes a LONG way.  I wonder if Olive will fall in love with the wedding industry one day??

It was a busy and wonderful month!  Here are some of my favorite snapshots from this month…

I hope you are all having a fabulous week so far!  My dad is in town for a quick visit, and I am feverishly working on some upcoming projects + weddings.  I’ll be back to share more soon.  Thank you for stopping by; enjoy your day!

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

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

One year ago today, I gave birth to my daughter: Olivia Iris.  Today’s post isn’t one of my typical monthly posts — the 12 month installment is coming soon!  This is simply a little letter for my Olive, for her to read one day and know a bit of how I felt as I marked her first year of life.  There is a fun giveaway at the bottom of this post, so feel free to jump ahead if you must!  xo

the birthday girl today!  wearing a dress from her ‘auntie’ mara, a sara rae shop hair flower, and the cutest zara baby sandals from sweet tori.

My dearest Olive,

Happy 1st Birthday, darling!  I truly cannot believe that an entire year has come and gone since that first night in the hospital.  By the time you can read this post, you will certainly have heard from me how your Daddy and I prayed so earnestly for a child for so long.  We will have told you just how overwhelmed with joy we were at our pregnancy.  We will have whispered to you how nothing could have prepared us for how deeply we would love you at the first sight of you.  I hope you already know just how much you are loved, and have been, from the moment we knew of your existence.

This first year has been a blur of beautiful moments.  I think back and I am dizzy with the remembrances of pure joy.  The first smile.  Your first bubbly laugh.  The infamous pouty lip that simultaneously broke our hearts and made us crumple into hysterics.  It was just too much!  I close my eyes and see the hundreds of night nursing sessions, when it would just be the two of us in the dark and your delicate cries would slip away as I held you snugly in my arms.  I never tired of watching you drift blissfully off to sleep.  You look so beautiful while you’re sleeping — you have the most luxurious long, dark lashes, a sweet button nose, and a tiny pink pout.  I’ve caught you giggling — full on giggling — in your sleep a dozen times.  It brings me otherworldly delight to hear.

I remember the first time you said “Dada” and I love to hear you say it everyday when Daddy comes home at lunch or at the end of the work day.  Your unabashed love for him is so precious to me.  I love the special bond you two share, and I am so grateful that you will grow up under the wisdom and care of such a godly man.  I can also clearly recall the first time you said “mama,” and how you said it with such a tender love, as if you could finally put a name to a face you had known for so long.  When you are crying out for me or when you are gleefully calling for me, it is music to my ears when you say “mama.”  It humbles me.  I will forever be your mama.

When you first rolled over, your Daddy didn’t believe me and we had to demonstrate for him a few times.  :)  It wasn’t long before you were scooting, then crawling, then pulling up to stand and walking!  For every milestone, we have cheered you on.  It is amazing to see how God is growing you and maturing you, and at such a rapid rate.  We are already blown away by the words that are tumbling out of your sweet mouth these days.  Your newest phrase is “thank you” and it melts anyone who hears you say it.  You pronounce it with such clarity and enunciation, and always with a sparkling smile.

I look back and I see us chasing each other on all fours around the house.  I see you playing peekaboo from behind the coffee table.  I see you breathless from laughter at Daddy’s antics.  I can tell you few things are more wonderful than nuzzling my nose into your neck and cuddling you.  Or maybe the way you bury your head in my shoulder when I get you after a nap, and you like to get a few final snuggles in before fully waking up.  That’s another taste of heaven.

Olive, you have changed me.  I am a different person since you were born.  Before you arrived, I always thought I would be the same Angel, but with a precious baby in tow.  I wanted to keep on enjoying the things I enjoyed, and I imagined that you would just fit into our lives like a new accessory.  I didn’t minimize what you were to us, but I simply had no idea what it would be like once you arrived.  It was life-changing and altering and amplifying in every way.  The things that matter, the things that bring me the purest joy, the things I cherish, and guard, and seek after… they are so clear and easy to identify now that you are here.  I have grown not only as a mother, but as a Christian and wife and friend…  You have taught me endless things about myself (the good and the bad), and I know that will be the case for our lifetime ahead.

In the last year, I have been reminded that life is short.  It is fleeting.  It’s a vapor.  No one is promised tomorrow.  I don’t want to take any moment or hour or day for granted.  So Olive, I want you to know, that every breath I am given on this earth, and every day the Lord grants us together, I will love you with all of my heart.  I will continue to pour everything I am into mothering you in wisdom and grace, seeking to glorify God with my efforts.  You will always know that you are treasured and cherished.  You won’t have to vie for my attention.  I am not perfect — in fact I am miles from it.  But I will always work hard to be the most dedicated mother to you that I can be.  If there is any legacy I leave for you, I hope it is that I can model Christ to you in everything I say and do.

I feel this special time of you as a baby slipping away…  I won’t lie: it is bittersweet.  I know one day if you have a child, you will understand exactly what I am feeling.  There is a part of me that wants to hold onto this precious time, drinking in your tiny-ness and your innocence and your childlike trust and love.  But I believe and I know that there are so many beautiful things in store for the future.  I can’t wait to get to know you better, I can’t wait to share heartfelt conversations with you over dinner, I can’t wait to listen to you share your fears and dreams with me, sitting up late together in the living room, I can’t wait to pray with you as I tuck you into your very own bed.  I feel blessed to grow alongside you.

My darling Olive — this first year has been more than I ever could have imagined.  It is impossible to put into words what you mean to me and your Daddy.  But I tried.  ;-)  And we love you.  Oh yes, we do.  Happy Birthday, my precious girl.

love always, Mama

—-

our newborn with that glorious head of hair

week 1 on the left // week 51 on the right

us — at olive’s 1st bash this past Saturday

Waterworks over here, you guys!!  I thank each of you for stopping by, whether you’re a long-time reader who has followed my pre-baby + pregnancy + motherhood journey for a while, or someone who is just visiting.  I am grateful for all of you.

We had a party for Olive on Saturday for family + friends in LA, and it was just marvelous.  I can’t wait to share all about it in the weeks to come.  Today, in honor of Olive’s birthday, I thought it’d be fun to giveaway a favor bag from Olive’s party for all of you who couldn’t celebrate with us in person!  The giveaway includes a hand-painted bag filled with my favorite Asian candies (since Olive has never had candy… haha).  I’ll also throw in a surprise or two.  ;-)  I’m going to pick 3 winners (woohoo!) to make it that much more exciting.

To enter, make sure you “like” Love and Splendor on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite memory of/with your mom OR something you wish for Olive.  ;-)  I can’t wait to read them!!  You have until Thursday, 3/14 at 6p PST to enter.  Good luck!

xoxo, Angel

Happy Friday, everyone!!  I hope you all had an amazing week~  Thank you for stopping by before you kick off the weekend!

Although Olive’s actual birthday isn’t until the 12th, I officially have ONE WEEK left until Olive’s 1st bash.  We are excited to celebrate the first year of our darling daughter with so many loved ones, some of whom are traveling pretty significant distances to be with us!  I should’ve known better than to plan the party for a Saturday when so many of our wedding industry friends have events to shoot and style, but the date was set to coincide with some travel plans.  All that to say, we are grateful for each of the amazing families coming together next weekend on behalf of our little girl!  I think at last count we are expecting about 60 adults and 30 (!) kids & babies.

a spark of inspiration from my friends at Casa de Perrin.  The top left photo is of the actual party invitation, created by the amazing Chelsea Petaja.

I started thinking about Olive’s birthday about 3 months ago, because I knew I wanted to do something pretty special à la cultural tradition.  After chatting with Erik and my parents, we made some initial guidelines and I got down to business planning and designing!  Today I wanted to give you a glimpse of what’s in store for this celebration.  I still want to keep most of the details under wraps for our guests, so here are just a handful of hints about the plans in progress…

1. The party will be swathed in a palette that includes watery shades of blue and green (aqua, teal, ocean, sky, mint), feminine blush and peach, and a touch of GOLD!
2. There is a subtle water/ocean motif in many design elements.  The original venue for the party was steps from the ocean, but we changed it right before sending out invites.  My inspiration for the palette remained the same nonetheless.  There won’t be any starfish, shells or anchors in sight, but other whimsical details definitely reference my love of the sea.
3. I hired an entertainer for the party.  Don’t worry: it’s not a clown or magician or mime!  I am actually really excited about this part of the party and think the adults will find it as fun as the kids (at least I hope so!).
4. Lunch is being catered by a yummy chain restaurant.  Yep, I said chain! There will be scrumptious, healthy, colorful options for everyone in attendance: vegans and paleo dieters and omnivores alike!
5. Dessert will be coming from two of my favorite industry friends… I’m not telling who they are, though!  I’m also bringing some nostalgic sweets to share with our guests.

I must say I have LOVED planning a child’s birthday (of course partly because it is for *my* child), and would love to do more kids’ events in the future.  It’s always great to break out of the norm and do something to flex my creative muscles.  There is an undercurrent of playfulness and whimsy in children’s event planning that really suits my aesthetic.  ;-)

little party things…

This weekend my plan is to finish all of the signage and printed goods for the party, assemble favors, and SLEEP.  I’ve had one too many late nights this week and concealer can only do so much…  This girl needs some old-fashioned R&R!

Enjoy your weekend and see you Monday for our EXCITING news + giveaway!!!

xoxo, Angel

With the end of February here (CRAZY), I knew I had to get this 11 month post up ASAP!  It seems like so much has already happened in the last 2 weeks that many of the highlights below are passé… But I still wanted to note them here.  I cannot believe the next Olive update will be her ONE YEAR post.  Okay, I believe it, but it blows my mind.  :)

This is the best “on the rug” pic I could get — the girl won’t sit still!

my sweet girl in one of my favorite outfits from her Uncle Ryan and Auntie CC

Month 11 highlights…

• You are 17 lbs 15.5 oz (okay, pretty much 18 lbs) and 28.25″ long (as of 2/18/13) — still smallish for your age but growing everyday. Your doctor says you just have a speedy metabolism since you are SO active for your age.  We can hardly keep you still for a photo these days!
• We went to Big Bear to celebrate Daddy’s 30th birthday!  We stayed in a darling cabin and enjoyed some much-needed R&R. Daddy had a blast snowboarding while you and I explored town and played in the snow.  Daddy took you on a sled with him in a local park and you LOVED it.  He also made you your first snowman: a little buddy just your size.  ;-)
• My best friend Kristin visited us with her daughter, Sisi (aka your BFF!).  We loved having them in town with us for a few days.  We ate lots of yummy paleo food and enjoyed exploring with them.  At a local park, you rode the swings for the first time.  You seemed indifferent.  ;-)  You did love following Sisi around the house and Kris and I hope that one day you two will be as close as she and I are!
• You point at everything!  You usually follow it up with an excited babble, so I figure you are trying to tell us something.  We can’t wait for you to really start talking.  For now, we enthusiastically nod and chat back.
• Your vocab includes: Dada, Mama, Baby, Fifi (your stuffed rabbit), No, Yes, and Don’t! (haha!  I think this is from me saying “Don’t touch”).
• Your “tricks” (the things you do on command): clap (which you’ve been doing  since you were 30 weeks), wave, shake your head no, dance (bounce and twist), and click your tongue.
• We celebrated your paternal Grandpa’s birthday!  It was a big one so I won’t post it here ;-) but it was wonderful to see lots of friends and family at the celebration.  You met many east coast relatives for the first time at this party.
• We went on a playdate with some mommy friends at another local park but your favorite activity was picking at the rubberized flooring and trying to eat it.  :)
• You became more attached to Fifi; you carry her around and show her lots of affection.  Whenever you pick her up, you pat her head, hug her tightly and sway back and forth.  I like to think you picked up your nurturing from your mama, and it warms my heart!
• Your love for your Daddy melts me on a daily basis.  Since you were born, I would demonstrate lots of excitement everytime Daddy comes home.  I made the big fuss in the hopes that you would learn that it is a special time when our family is together at the end of a busy day!  Now, you can hear the gate open when he gets home and you instantly shriek, “Dada! Dada!”  You crawl as fast as you can to the top of the stairs waiting for his face to appear.  It is the most adorable thing… Maybe the only thing cuter is how happy Daddy is to see you upon arrival.  He scoops you up and covers you with kisses and I just melt!

My darling Olive,  Life is moving at light-speed as we hurtle closer to your first birthday. Lately Daddy and I have been watching old videos of you from your first weeks and it seems like a lifetime ago that you were born.  I am loving this stage with you, as you begin to give us glimpses of your personality.  You are playful and silly and laugh with every ounce of your tiny body.  You are enamored with your Daddy and no one can make you laugh harder.  You are still completely attached to me, though… There are times (bedtime, or when you are startled by something) that nothing can calm you but your Mama’s arms.  You are endlessly curious and you love to poke your head under and around everything to see what you can find.  You still explore the world by taste (much to our chagrin, haha) and your first reaction to any new object is to lick it.  You can crawl across a room in a matter of seconds and spend most of the day cruising around.  Little did we know that you were about to take your first steps shortly after your 11th month-day (spoiler alert!)…  You are sensitive and seem to have a tender heart already.  When Mama or Daddy tell you ‘no’ or not to touch something, you obey pretty instantly.  On the occasions that you don’t, we might say your name sternly and that’s all it takes for you to stop in your tracks, eyes filling up with tears.  Oh sweetie it is so cute and sad at the same time!  I hope that Daddy and I can gently and lovingly shepherd you to be a godly young woman.  For now, keep exploring, keep laughing, but try to go easy on the licking (like Daddy’s slippers… eew!), okay?  Love you to the moon.  xoxo, Mommy

glimpses of month 11, mostly via Instagram (@loveandsplendor)

Everyone: I have some HUGE news (sorry, not pregnant!) to share on Monday as well as a giveaway you won’t want to miss… So make sure you visit again soon!  To tide you over, I will have a fun birthday party planning update tomorrow.  I can’t wait to give you a peek at what I’m creating for Olive’s 1st bash!  See you then!

xoxo, Angel

Hello everyone!!  I apologize for the quiet around here lately…  We were enjoying Big Bear last week on a wonderful family getaway (celebrating my sweetie’s birthday!) and as usual, it has been difficult to find the time to sit down and summarize the last amazing month with our little Olive.  I know I keep hinting at it but some exciting things are in store for this blog in the month ahead, so look forward to that!  ;-)

I was having a hard time writing down the date this week because it seems impossible that it is already the end of January.  We are in full-on 1st birthday party planning mode over here.  The invites were sent out and the RSVPs are beginning to trickle in.  I am so excited for the big celebration with so many people we love, but I am also in a constant state of disbelief that my daughter is really about to turn one!

hearst castle with halmunee & nana-ji

Month 10 was a magical one for our family because it included Olive’s first Christmas! The holidays were even more joyful with our little girl with us.  I loved introducing her to some of our family traditions, watching her face as she saw sparkling Christmas lights for the first time, trimming a tree with her (and rejoicing that she never was tempted enough to tamper with said tree), and burying her in a sea of wrapping paper on Christmas morning.  ;-)

Our highlights from Olive’s 10th month:

• We celebrated with 16 mommies and babies at a little shindig at Carissa’s house.  It was a fabulous time of catching up and exchanging gifts with a Mommy/Baby Secret Santa.  Unfortunately a ton of kids got sick in the days following the party… :-/  I guess that sort of thing is inevitable with that many kiddos, so we jokingly said next year is a Mommy’s night out!
• You weigh 17 lbs and 9.5 oz, which is on the lighter side.  But, you are super active and healthy and bright so we attribute it to how much you are moving for your age!  ;-)  You never stop moving, whether it’s speed-crawling, cruising, or bouncing and twisting (your first forms of dancing!).  Still no unassisted steps, but you are a champion at pushing around your walker (with only one hand, sometimes!) and standing for long periods of time, just smiling at us like you are about to venture out at any moment.  We are waiting with baited breath for that first step!
• We went to Hearst Castle with halmunee and nana-ji and made it a new tradition (since we went last year too, while you were still in the womb!) for Christmastime!  We also enjoyed time in Cambria and Cayucos, two of our other favorite central coast destinations.
• You enjoyed your first festa dei sette pesci — the traditional Italian feast on Christmas Eve featuring lots of yummy seafood!
• You woke up Christmas morning with a runny nose and your first “sort of” cold… You remained cheery and active despite the congestion!  Then you passed whatever you had to mommy.  Illness is one thing we prefer not to share around here.  ;-)
• You spent lots of time with all of your grandparents.  I am so thankful that you have such a wonderful group of grandparents & I hope you always cherish them.
• You continue to love being at church, “singing” along with me and piping up whenever Daddy is preaching.  It seems like you have quite a bit to say, and we can’t wait until you start putting those words together!
• Daddy has discovered that you love tortillas and bread.  I was hesitant to give you both of these things, but I can’t deny how you seem to go crazy for them.
• You cut four more teeth for a total of 8 pearlies!!  It is so cute seeing your teeth when you smile and ‘speak.’
• We picked the venue for your 1st birthday party, and then changed it.  We are even more excited about the new venue for your party and cannot wait to celebrate with so many loved ones in March!

Everyone: enjoy the weekend and I will see you next week!  xoxo, Angel