OCTOBER INSTAGRAMS.

of course i am a few months behind.
that is just what happens when you are running around,
living your life, right?

here's what went on in the month of october.
+ violet was sushi - a california roll - for halloween
+ we shot some weddings
+ sewed a homemade teepee for our family photos
+ violet started walking (at 11 months)
+ we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary!

A FEW FAMILY PHOTOS.

here are 2 photos from our family session this year,
with the sloans (super amazing photographers).
aww...our first family shoot as a family of 3.
i'll share more when i have time.

VIOLET'S UNICORN NEON BIRTHDAY PARTY.

violet had her first birthday party 2 weeks ago.

i decided months ahead i wanted to do a neon theme,

and then added the unicorns as an afterthought.

everyone dressed in neon, which was fun.

here is the invitation, designed by our super talented friend carly. i love it!

i glued them onto neon yellow cardstock,

stuffed them in bright envelopes, and added neon yellow confetti.

i know, i'm a huge nerd.

(i cropped off the address & rsvp info)

we found out how it is pretty much impossible to be picky with neon

when it comes to graphic design. the choices are so limited.

sadly i didn't get pictures of all the friends, family & decor.

it was pretty chaotic and there really wasn't time to stop and take photos.

but here are some quick shots we grabbed...

the dessert spread. 

in the back i set up violet's monthly photos from 1-12.

i used gold glitter paper to make the number stickers, and the frames are ikea.

i made these fun neon fabric tassel garlands.

we strung them above the food & present tables.

i bought some of my favorite flowers, green mums,

and made them pop with more neon fabric strips.

and lots of neon candy, with neon cupcake liners to fill up.

for lunch we had a taco lady come out and cook everything on a big grill.

i'm so glad i didn't try to do the food myself. and i love tacos!

we had neon drinks...izze sodas & mexican sodas,

and my fave...neon paper straws.

of course i forgot to photograph the lunch tables. 

they had neon fabric runners, with flower vases and cute little unicorn figurines.

the kids played pin the horn on the unicorn!

other kid activities...

the kids' craft tables had unicorn pictures to color with highlighters,

there was neon playdoh, neon pipe cleaners, neon stickers,

neon beads & string to make necklaces & bracelets,

a kid-size white cardboard castle,

and highlighters to color the castle with neon colors

here is her pretty cake.

i was super excited about it.

 and a jumbo cupcake just for violet.

she didn't love having her hands covered in frosting.

she hardly ate her cupcake too.

here is my gold diamond-shaped pinata that i made from cardboard, tissue paper & wrapping paper.
this one was filled up with toys instead of candy.
my favorites were the friendship bracelets, sunglasses and the inflatable guitars.

 i bought this unicorn pinata online. it ended up being so small. i filled it with neon candy.

violet picking up a maraca and a lizard from the pinata.

i couldn't believe how many presents violet got. she is so spoiled.

 this little purple guitar is from her auntie in australia. she loves it.

daddy loves it too. now that she has her own guitar, she doesn't bother his.

my excuse to buy a huge balloon.

i forgot to take a picture of the 3 foot tall unicorn balloon we have!

it's actually still floating around our house.

thank you to all our friends & family who came to celebrate with us!!

it really was a special day for our special girl.

OUTTA TOWN.

we just got back from vacation.
we spent about a week in utah visiting family.
we had a great time!
and it was cold! see...

thanksgiving was wonderful.

it's good to be home though.

lots of catching up to do,

and i am so ready to get my christmas decorations out!!!

PARTY PREVIEW.

violet's first birthday party was yesterday.
it was a neon-themed unicorn party.
it was so much fun!
here's a little snapshot my friend emailed me.

i will share more when i have time,

but i have weddings & portrait sessions to edit first.

this week we are off to utah for thanksgiving.

for the record, we are born & raised californians.

but my parents moved to utah last year.

can't wait to spend time with the fam!

too bad i have to grade a huge stack of papers on the trip.

i've been putting them off for too long.

we're excited for a vacation nonetheless!

VIOLET TURNS ONE!

i didn't realize how emotional i would feel,
seeing my little baby girl turn one.
so many special memories of this time last year,
of her sweet birth and bringing her into our home.
i keep thinking about how she will never be this little again.

she is truly a gift from heaven.

here are her one year photos!
she is wearing her baby blessing dress. still fits!
i just added a sequin collar to spice it up.

daddy & baby...

and mama & baby...

and i couldn't resist stripping her down for a few shots...

some fun facts about violet at one year:

+ loves to "talk" on the phone

+ she makes animal sounds! dog, cat & horse

+ she is a very picky eater, despite all my efforts

+ extremely stubborn, strong-willed & independent

+ always on the go!

+ loves music, airplanes, animals & being outdoors

+ always learning new words

(she somehow learned "poopoo")

it's so amazing to me that being a mother

has turned out to be one of the greatest blessings in my life.

yes it's a lot of work, but no work could ever be more rewarding.

being a mother has taught me so much already.

honestly, it can be so tricky to juggle all my roles,

i am still working on finding balance. i am still learning to let go.

i am still learning that i can't do everything.

i am still learning that things need not be perfect.

i am still learning that i can say no. i am still learning to ask for help.

i am still learning to take time for myself.

as busy and crazy as things are in this stage of life, i am so grateful for the journey.

i am so grateful to be a mother. so blessed!!!

TWENTY NINE!

i am really getting old.

but i had an amazing week last week. 

i was spoiled by my lovely friends & family.

lots of going out to lunch & dinner,

did some crafts, and a ton of shopping,

plus eating treats nonstop.

it was truly a perfect birthday!

i felt undeserving of so much love & kindness.

thank you all :)

and i am so excited that violet turns ONE YEAR tomorrow!
our birthdays are 4 days apart :)
her party is this weekend. can't wait!

INSTAGRAM WEB PROFILES.

what do you think of the new instagram profiles on the web?

here's mine.

it seems like they still have a few bugs in them,

but i imagine they'll become more useful.

what do you think of them?

well anyway, here is a little catchup.

my favorite instagrams from september.

tomato-picking in our swimsuits.

v got to go to her friend azure's baby blessing.

and hang out with her cousin liam before he moved to utah.

and it was still beach weather!

one last surf day at doheny.

i love that she doesn't mind freezing ocean water.

making the best of errands.

and making plenty of messes.

a lazy morning.

wow...the months just keep flying by!